Into the Shadows
by Dreamyin
Summary: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he discovers that there is a side to Agni's gift other than blasting fire, namely bending shadows. Growing stronger as the Blue Spirit, will he make his mother proud?
1. Mother's Wisdom

**Title**: Into the Shadows

**Author**: Dreamyin

**Character**: Zuko-centric

**Pairings**: Still undecided

**Summary**: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: Beloved Daughter (thank you!)

**Music influence:** Into the Shadow by the Rasmus

**Disclaimer**: Sadly, I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender...

**Chapter 1: A Mother's Wisdom**

_I've been watching _

_I've been waiting _

_In the shadows all my time _

_I've been searching _

_I've been living _

_For tomorrows all my life _

_- Into the Shadows, The Rasmus_

**~ Fire Nation Palace ~**

"Huh? What's tha?"

A pair of eyes widened as the owner looked in the wonder towards the little black figure that was moving on the sunlit ground next to him. The black spot on the ground changed from shape ever so slightly, as if it was moving. Seeing movement in the corner of his eye, the boy quickly swiped his head around to look at his mother in amazement.

"You do that!" He blurted, seeing her having her hands raised in front of her while holding them in a folding position of some kind.

He studied them curiously as he turned around, moving to sit up on his knees and his chubby hands grabbed her larger ones to inspect them a little closer.

His mother let out a soft chuckle at the observation of the young boy. "Yes, I _did_ that." She corrected the four-year-old boy automatically as she moved her hands again as to prove that she spoke the truth. The boy followed the movement with a small frown as he compared it to the movement of the shadow that was cast on the ground.

The sun was shining above them, high in the sky. It was at this hour of the day that the sun seemed to shine the brightest and without any clouds to block its view from its two admirers, said pair liked to spend a few hours in the grand garden.

"What is it?" The young voice of the young boy spoke up, looking at the shape in puzzlement, thinking that it looked familiar.

"What does it look like?" His mother questioned him in return.

The young boy pouted. His mother did that often, returning his question with another question instead of answering it. To make him think really hard and figure it out on his own, she had said once. Knowing that he had to do just that, he flopped down again, his little ponytail swished with the movement.

He leaned back against his mother's legs, which she had folded in front of to her while she leaned ever so slightly against the tree situated next to the large pond. Once again looking at the shape, the young boy drew his knees up to his chest and rested his chin on them. Reaching over to touch the shadow, he tried to figure out what the black shape reminded him of.

The image that sprung up in his mind made him look up at the sky and he smiled brightly.

"Bird!" He said proudly as she once again moved 'it's' wings. He clapped his small hands together in his excitement.

"Very good, honey."

"How you do it?" He asked trying to copy her hand positions, palms facing upwards and letting one rest on the other.

"It is 'how do you do it'." She automatically corrected him – he repeated the phrase absently - as she watched his attempt with an amused twinkle in her eyes.

He frowned when his little blob didn't look like his mother's shadow at all.

He was about give up when his mother stopped him. "Don't give up." She chided him and he blushed in response but tried again, moving his hands a little more away from the shadow of the tree.

"Asking for help isn't wrong." He tried again. "Better, but it goes like this." She slung her arm around her son so that her hand was in front of them both, the palm of facing upwards. Then making sure her hands were creating a shadow with the help of the sun, she took his smaller hand and laid it half in hers, his arm resting on hers and their thumbs crossed.

He let out a slight giggle as she moved her thumb to grasp his, before straightening it and showing him the shadow they had formed.

"Like that." She explained resting her chin on his head just a little bit.

"But one wing is small!" He protested, watching the shadow move as he wiggled his hand.

"But you will grow and, in a few years, it will have two pair of large and strong wings." She said smiling.

"Really?" He asked, comparing his small chubby hands with his mothers and then continued to think back to the hands of his uncle and father.

They were large too.

His mother smiled as they both wiggled their fingers.

"Yes, ready to fly away as far as he wants, as high as he wants." She confirmed and she folded her hand around his.

"Just have a little patience, Zuko."

"Patience is boring." The young prince pouted and clenched his hand into a fist around her thumb.

His mother chuckled as she let go and rose, straightening her dress so that she was presentable again. Zuko also stood up and spread out his arms as they walked back towards one of the many back doors that the palace had.

He laughed as he watched his shadow copy him and realized that he never really paid attention to his shadow before.

The young prince was determined to make up for that from now on. A sudden inspiration struck him and he moved his arms in enthusiasm.

"I will become a really strong dragon!" The young boy bragged ever so slightly trying to twist his limbs so he could create one with his shadow – or at least he tried.

Ursa chuckled as she watched her son over her shoulder. She smiled in amusement when she saw him give up and, as if secretly, make another attempt at the bird shadow.

The small bird moved his wings, but it didn't look like he was flying yet.

Still she knew that in the end, he would be able to travel the world, like she sometimes saw him do in her dreams.

As far as he wanted, as high as he wanted.

**~ Five years later ~ Fire Nation Palace~**

"Are you proud of me, Mother?"

Ursa turned to her son, her eyebrow raised in surprise at the sudden and unexpected question. She carefully studied her now ten-year-old son who was sitting cross-legged on the ground next to her underneath the shadow their favorite tree. He was staring at the turtle-ducks in the pond; his shoulders slightly slumped over as he quickly turned his eyes away from her.

She let out a sad mental sigh; having noticed that her oldest son had slowly become despondent the older he grew.

Before he could react, her manicured hand grasped the back of his collar and he found himself sprawled back, half on the ground and half leaning against her side. The way they had sat many times, but occurred less often the older he got.

"Wha-?"

He blinked as she playfully tugged on his ponytail that had grown over the years.

"Of course I'm proud of you, Zuko." She said, trying to be as firm and gentle as possible.

Still leaning against her, he tilted his head to look up to her, maybe even searching for the kind of approval that she had said she felt. The smile he got from her made him smile in return and blush in embarrassment ever so slightly. He really loved his mother.

His father was always busy and didn't hug him like his mother did. Not that he expected that from him, he was the Prince after all and he had an image to maintain. Zuko couldn't help but feel a little ignored with the way his father dismissed him sometimes, as if he had let his father down in some way. That thought nearly made him pout in disappointment – but he of course he didn't, after all, he was ten-year-old and of royalty and boys like that didn't pout.

Ever since his little sister Azula had showed her first sign of being able to bend fire about two and a half years ago, Father had become even colder towards his first born. She had only just turned five, which usually was the sign that she would be a firebender prodigy in the future.

He had shown his ability at about the same time, but being two years older than her and only being able to summon the same small blasts of fire was very discouraging. Sure it still placed him above the average firebender, but being compared to his younger sister made him feel he wasn't good enough.

Even his trainers agreed that his little sister showed much more promise. They never said so outright but Zuko could see it through their actions. He was often forced to keep practicing the basic katas which he knew by heart by now, in contrast to his sister who they tried to progress at a much faster rate. Sure, he too was trained as hard as any other bender, but with his father's attention on his sister, he sometimes felt as if he was standing in her shadow.

Even so, because he was the eldest child and her big brother, he had more responsibilities than he wanted to bear.

"I do not love you any less because you are not a firebender prodigy."

It sometimes scared Zuko how his mother seemed to be able to read his mind and the look he gave her in reply actually made her chuckle at him. "Firebending is not everything Zuko."

Zuko looked at her in shock, feeling like protesting. It was a reaction that had been nearly brainwashed into him. After all, everyone looked at firebending like a gift from Agni and thus prodigies were seen as more powerful and important. Every one of his teachers had taught him that.

"But…" He tried, but couldn't find the right words.

Ursa sighed and rose to her feet. Then she walked away from the shadow they were resting under and waved him to stand next to her. It was a beautiful warm day and the sun was shining proudly high in the sky. Her son followed and blinked slightly as the sun shone brightly in his eyes.

The woman looked at the sun for a moment trying to figure out how to get her message across to her bright – though he didn't really fully realize it – son.

Glancing at the ground she was standing on, a sudden inspiration struck her. Turning to her son, who was for once patiently waiting for her to speak, she held out one of her hands. The palm of her hand was facing up towards the sun and shadow formed on the ground. His expression showed that he recognized her intention, and he pulled a face in hesitation.

"Mother, aren't I a little too old for that?" He mused.

"Never." She said as he finally laid his hand into hers. She smiled at him, a truly happy smile that he had seen appear less regularly as months passed. "You are still growing aren't you? The little bird from five years ago, when you were little, has grown up."

"Mother…" Zuko grumbled, his face flushing in embarrassment. He always felt embarrassed when she said things like that, though he couldn't deny that he disliked it. Sure he had been a little child at the time, but he didn't need to be reminded of the things he had questioned at the time.

"Now look at the shadow." Zuko stared at their hand puppet, automatically moving his part of 'the wings' when she moved her hand to make it fly. "…and listen carefully."

"Agni has given us also another gift." She stated.

"Another? But Sens-"

"This is not something everyone realizes Zuko. Just like they tell you that anger makes your fire stronger. Tell me, what is another form of fire?"

He paused, unsure whether the answer that sprung to his mind was the right one. "Light?"

"Yes." She nodded. "Now, what would the world look like without fire and this light?"

"It would be dark and cold." He said without missing a beat.

"Indeed." Zuko looked at her in puzzlement, actually questioning what she was trying to say this time. She smiled knowingly at him and continued. "So what would show the difference between the darkness and the shadows?"

Zuko blinked. "There would be no difference."

"Indeed." She smiled again and Zuko actually began to wonder where she was heading with all these questions.

"Now what would happen if there was too much light?" She squeezed his hand ever so lightly to indicate that he had to pay attention.

"It would be very hot and bright?" It sounded more like a question than an answer but Ursa decided to let that pass. She sometimes cursed the way that the way of firebending was taught in the Fire Nation.

"Then what would be the difference between a little flame and something as bright as the sun?"

Zuko blinked, feeling like he was getting the message but still not totally getting it. "The darkn…" She interrupted him. "When everything looks as bright as the sun shining down upon us."

The boy glanced at the sun and had to squint his eyes at the brightness. "There would be none."

"Indeed." She said once again. "Including the fact that we would be burned if it were so bright. So what gift has Agni given us so we can live and keep the _balance_?"

Zuko stared at the ground, finally getting what she was saying but not really understanding why she was telling him this. "The shadows. The lack of light?"

She smiled at him brightly.

"Yes, he has allowed us to exist in just the right amount of his power. So we can live in the balance that he has given us."

She tapped his forehead to make him look at her.

"Zuko, you are a firebender, but it isn't restricted to only that. You are a bender of Agni's gift. You can pull fire from your inner fire that has been given to you and control it to make the shadows around you disappear. But you can also use this to create shadows to keep the balance. Don't be afraid of standing in the shadow, because it is this gift, the fire within you..." She moved her other hand to rest on his chest near his heart. "…that will keep the darkness away from you and allow you to wander through them. _That_ is Agni's gift.

He stared at her, seemingly lost in her explanation.

She sighed softly, having let herself go too far in her own thoughts while she was talking. "Just don't be afraid of standing in the shadow Zuko. It is all about the balance. As long as your inner fire shines brightly you can use this darkness to make the difference."

There was a pause between them and as Ursa looked into her son's eyes filled with slight wonder, she remembered the little boy that she had spend nearly all her days with when he was younger. He was growing up.

"You speak in riddles sometimes Mother." The boy managed, but slowly nodded, thinking that he at least got the idea of what she was trying to say.

She let out a soft laugh. "You will figure it out Zuko."

With that she patted his arm and walked away, leaving as the boy stared in wonder at the shadow puppet on the ground that was slowly getting brighter.

Was it a trick of the light, or had her part of the shadow puppet been there a couple of seconds longer than her hand had been?

Shaking his head, Zuko followed his mother towards the building, determined to practice his kata's once more.

**~ End Chapter ~ **

First chapter folks! I'm not sure how much I will be able to update this summer, but I'm actually pretty excited with the idea that is now spooking through my head so I just had to try and write it. I love Zuko as the (complicated) character he is, so I hope I won't go too OC with him. Please warn me if I do!

As you might have noticed, the song 'Into the shadows' by Rasmus will be a little focus point of mine. I found that it matches the idea of my story and Zuko very well, so you will come across certain excerpts of the lyrics once in a while. Just a little extra.

Anyway, I hope you like it as much as I do. Please let me know and review!

Till next time!


	2. First Discovery

**Summary**: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? AU.

**Disclaimer**: Sadly I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender...

**Beta**: Doesn't have one.

Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews!

Here is the next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko as he comes across the first answer to understanding his mother's story.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 2: First Discovery**

_No sleep _

_No sleep until I am done with finding the answer_

_Won't stop_

_Won't stop before I find a cure for this cance_r

_~ Into the Shadows by the Rasmus ~_

**~ A couple of months later ~ Fire Nation Palace~**

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

He was _so_ in trouble, the ten-year-old boy thought frantically.

He shouldn't have tried to sneak back in here. He should have acted like the well-behaved Prince he had been brought up to be. He wished he hadn't let his need to feel the pulsing heartbeat of a flame from a candlelight make him forget this unspoken rule. It didn't matter anymore though, he was here now and there was nothing he could do about it.

He had been hoping to find some candles in the kitchen to secretly train in his room, something that he had been forbidden to do after he had accidently set fire to his bed about a week ago.

He let out a frustrated huff at that memory.

It wasn't his fault that Azula had decided to come by and disturb him – and mock him and lie to him and embarrasses him and to mock him some more – resulting in Zuko feeling so angry that he had lost control over the flame that he had secretly been practicing with after she had left.

Stupid little sister. He could still remember her smug look at dinner the next day.

Sometimes he wondered if she cared about him at all.

His mother said she did. His mother had always tried to put emphasis on the importance of family.

So he had tried not to hurt Azula all those years, hoping that even though she was being cruel, she still loved him. Yet, he was slowly beginning to doubt it.

Ever since his cousin died, things had been going downwards. His mother didn't smile as much anymore. His father was becoming even colder towards him with every progress Azula made and the last time that he had seen his uncle, the old man had seemed so lost that it made Zuko want to hug him every time he saw him. The grieving man was away often but Zuko was determined to visit his uncle when he got back. He liked him and he didn't want him to be sad.

He was sure that Lu Ten wouldn't have wanted his father to get lost in his grief.

Zuko would try to help the man cope. It was something he owed to two of his favorite family members.

Anyway, back _at the moment, _Zuko shook himself out of his memories. He didn't have time for that now.

The main point was that he would be punished if anyone spotted him in the kitchen in the middle of the night. Punishment meant that something would be taken away from him. The point of punishment was that something that he _liked_ would be taken away from him. Something he knew that others knew he liked was _training_, meaning that it would be his firebending training that would be stripped away from him first.

_And_ Zuko did not want to miss his trainings, _so_ he couldn't be spotted. Sure, the trainings were tough and he didn't always enjoy them, but he wanted to get better. He wanted to make his father feel proud of him.

He wanted to make his mother proud.

Hearing the guards getting closer, his eyes franticly searched for some kind of place to hide. He wasn't small enough to hide in one of the cupboards anymore, like he used to do when he was younger.

The ten-year-old had quite a lot of experience sneaking around over the last few years and had gotten quite good at it too – at least for someone without any real training. Secretly, he liked the idea of hiding in the shadows and watching people without them knowing. It reminded him of the conversation he had with his mother about a year ago, something that had been haunting him a long time.

He was still trying to figure out what she had meant though – and it had become a personal quest.

"Shadows. Lack of light." He suddenly muttered, remembering part of her lecture and his eyes widened slightly.

An inspiration struck him.

Would it work? Was it even possible? His control had gotten a lot better over the last year, even though it was slightly lacking when he needed to use more power.

Control. That was one thing he prided himself on. In contrast to Azula's large amount of chi and a meager control, his control was quite impressive, even though many didn't notice because of Azula's more obvious skills.

His teachers held large reserves in a much higher regard than control. So Zuko often stood in his sister's shadow during training. After all, his reserves of chi couldn't really be compared to hers, being a lot smaller.

Still, in dark surroundings like this, it wouldn't need that much power right?

He heard the mumbling and laughing of the two guards come dangerously close and sprinted to one of the darkest corner he saw, knowing that it would be one that they wouldn't really inspect that closely.

Closing his eyes and trying to calm his beating heart, he feverishly hoped that his idea would work and tried to imagine all the light – its source having been Agni's fire - around him to be breathed into his body with every calm breath he took and to be held there.

Having closed his eyes he didn't notice the area around him getting darker, hiding his figure further into the shadows. Just enough to make someone who glanced into the corner think it was empty.

The only thing he felt was feeling as if the air in his lungs was getting warmer and a slight pressure in the centre of his chest heating up. It wasn't uncomfortable yet, but as a minute passed he felt himself getting dizzier.

He tried not to move when he heard the guards come in. "…and then I said, look here buddy you may be my friend but that doesn't make you any less ugly!" The guard laughed at his own joke and the second one laughed along with him, being just as loud. Each carried a candle, both burning brightly as they calmly walked a quick circle around the kitchen to inspect everything.

The shadow over the young prince wavered ever so slightly as the heat in his body started to become uncomfortable, still not knowing what to do with the heat of the energy that he had captured being as inexperienced with this strange ability as he was.

"Haha! You tell him! You know, the other day I…" Tuning the man out, Zuko focused on taking calm quiet breaths; slowly in and out. Ignoring the heat that was building up and trying to cope with it and keep it within him.

What had his uncle said once? "_Let the energy flow with you. Let it the flame breath with you. Let its heartbeat beat with your own."_

He made it sound so _easy_ back then, Zuko grumbled mentally as he started to struggle to keep it within him, the heat actually starting to hurt just a bit.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the two guards – still laughing and joking around - turned to leave and Zuko let out a tiny sigh of relief and opened his eyes. He watched with horror as his breath caused some bright flames to go with it. The painful heat in his chest disappeared instantly, which relieved him somewhat, but the familiar _whooshing_ sound of the fire was just a little too loud of his liking.

Damn it.

The tallest guard of the two whirled around at the sound, just a second too late to spot the fire, causing the other one to pause in the middle of his sentence.

"Is something wrong?" His friend asked, now also looking around suspiciously. "I think I heard something." The other muttered.

Zuko gulped. He couldn't be found out!

Once again clenching into himself he watched with fearful eyes as one of them came closer and closer, the other standing guard at the door.

Thinking quickly, he reached for one of the broom that stood in the corner and quietly laid it down on the ground in one of the shadows. Pausing for a moment, he placed another smaller one next to it, just to be sure.

Then he went back to focusing on light around him and part of the floor.

The pair moved to in practiced manner to make another inspection, this time acting a lot more serious – well, at least one of them was.

"Are you being paranoid again? Remember last time that you thought there was someone in the garden? We spend the whole night following shadows." The shorter man standing guard at the door grumbled at the other man, clearly not impressed with the other mans serious attitude.

"I told you that I really saw something that night!"

Zuko gasped silently in surprise. So it had been those guards following him that one evening that he had been practicing sneaking around silently. It had been great practice.

"Yeah right and I believe in ghosts." The other mocked him as he waited for the man to finish his round.

"Don't joke about things like that, I tell you, the next time you see something you will come running like a baby to me and I wi…" He wasn't able to finish his sentence as he stumbled over the broom. In an attempt to regain his balance, the man jumped and loudly stomped on the ground when he landed again. Unfortunately the man tripped right over the second smaller broom and fell down with a heavy 'oomph' as he used his arms just in time to slow him down enough so he wasn't hurt.

At least he hadn't broken his nose.

This little episode allowed Zuko to slip behind him to the part of the kitchen that he had already inspected and hide in another corner, waiting for the other man to move away.

Alarmed the other guard ran to his friend and readied himself to bend fire to confront his friend's attacker. He blinked when he didn't saw anyone and laughed when spotted the culprit, namely a simple wooden broom, which had caused the man fall over.

The man on the ground complained and grumbled as his friend helped him up and shoved the man away when he said that he was "so going to tell the others".

Neither of them noticed the little figure that silently slipped away through the door and rushed to his room, his heart still beating rapidly in his chest.

Little did that young boy know that this was a trick that, once he would be able to control it, would save him countless times later in his life.

In another shadow across the kitchen, a figure watched the young prince as he ran off. A little smile formed on her face as she continued her way. She had decided to go for a quiet walk that evening– away from her snoring husband, which she was forbidden to speak of. She was happy to know that her son was finally beginning to figure it out.

With that, Ursa turned around to return to her room, wondering how long it would take him to tell her his little secret or whether it would be one of the things he would try to figure out on his own.

Either way, she was already proud of him.

**~Couple of months later ~ **

The still ten-year-old slowly snuck around the corner, trying to keep the light of the air around him within himself so there was a slight darkness around him. He made sure that his footsteps were as silent as possible, like he had taught himself. He pushed himself against the wall and spied back around the corner, trying to make sure that no one was following him. The coast was clear.

Finally, he allowed a grin to appear on his face.

He had done it.

Removing the little white mask that he had found in one of the extra – abandoned – rooms near his wing of the palace, he wiped his forehead.

He had finally done it.

Finally, he had been able to pass the guards unnoticed.

They hadn't bowed to him like they should do. Plus, he knew that those two guards in particular always followed that protocol. Nor had they politely tried to talk with him.

There had been many close calls the last two months after he had decided that he had practiced enough sneaking around in the hallway and his room. He had to test his skills in real situations. Of course, it hadn't been a success at first. He had been caught a few times by the guards in his attempts to sneak by them. It had taught him a lot. After the first time of having been forced to use some lame embarrassing excuse, he made sure to think up some excuses _before_ going out.

Having something to ask his mother something.

Visiting his uncle again.

Just stretching his legs.

Daydreaming and losing track of where he was going.

Asking what their favorite firebending move was. Why? Because he was trying to figure out some basic ideas and had been hoping to get some inspiration from them.

Unexpectedly, just wanting to talk seemed to be an excuse that always seemed to work once you got to know them for a bit.

It surprised Zuko that after having a conversation with the two a couple of times, even though very strict, they were actually really nice people. He never really paid too much attention to the guards and the other staff. After all they were a constant factor in his life. There was never really any rules against talking to them – as his mother often liked to do – but it was never encouraged either.

So this experience was surprisingly enlightening.

There were two guards in particular that he like to talk to, the same guards he had just snuck by.

Sato Hibiki had a son a few years older than Zuko and though not a bender was very skilled with swords, something that the guard had been teaching him himself. He also had a daughter who had just gotten engaged and would soon be married in a couple of months. His wife baked the best firecracker cookies, which Zuko had never eaten before.

It was a popular commoner food it seemed.

Zuko was somewhat shocked that he didn't mind talking to the guards about their non-royalty lives and actually enjoyed it, maybe even slightly fascinated by it.

Ueno Kenshin was a quiet man and seemed to be a little wary of the boy's intentions – though always acted as polite as he had to be to the young prince. However, after having talked with Sato-san for a while and actually remembering what he had said, the silent man started to share his own basic story. He was about ten years older than his partner and his only son had already moved out of the house and was currently working as a crewmember on a ship. Apparently he had a gift for navigating which had gotten him several promotions already.

The young prince found it captivating how proudly the fathers spoke of their children and there was even a little bit of jealousy that nagged him in the back of his mind, but instead of letting it make him discontinue this newfound acquaintance with the guards, he got only more determined to make his own father proud too.

He would show him his new ability when he got it right.

So while getting to know different guards a little better, he continued practicing his newest ability.

Unknowingly to the boy, with each new acquaintance the staff started to treat him more with respect that he had earned instead of the standard respect that they were forced and supposed to show him.

As weeks went by, the bows given in his direction became more genuine and less-forced. More and more staff members started to gossip about how polite and nice the boy actually was – in contrast to a certain family member that liked to yell at each of them if they even dared to take one wrong step in her surroundings.

Another little story that stood out was a little ghost story that some of the guards insisted to be true. It was about a small spirit that was haunting the palace for the last couple of months. Some guards, who laughed at the others, would come back a few days later, a shocked and confused expression on their faces.

A certain guard wouldn't stop reminding his shocked friend - that had been previously laughing at him - that he 'had been right after all'.

Zuko, however, didn't take much notice of any of this and instead continued perfecting his new skill, trying to slip away closer and closer to guards without being detected.

There was only one person in the palace that seemed to hear and believe both sides of the story. Ursa – allowing her maids to gossip in her chambers when her husband was away – listened to the ghost stories with an amused expression, a suppressed smirk that made her lips twitch.

It seemed that Azula wasn't the only prodigy in this palace.

**~ Two days later ~**

Zuko ran back to his room, not wanting to spy on his father anymore longer. Let Azula do that if she wanted to but he didn't want to know anything else.

Why did his father want the throne so badly? Sure he did indeed have two children, but he still disliked the idea of his father being so cold towards his nephew's death. Why would he try to get what he knew belonged to his grieving uncle?

The stories that the guards had been telling him, their love and affection showing clearly in his eyes when they did, ran through his head again. He felt the tears prickling in the corner of his eyes but he refused to cry. Weren't family members supposed to stick up for each other? To protect and to love each other?

What was wrong with his family? Why was his family broken like it was?

He shook his head firmly and quickly. No, wait. His mother loved him. He still had his mother and his uncle loved him too, or at least Zuko hoped he did.

He still had a place to belong. He wasn't useless yet.

He shuddered and drew in a little light and warmth that was surrounding him to get the cold away.

He felt himself grow just a little warmer and the air around his hands shimmered ever so slightly. That calmed him down slightly as he reminded himself that was good at something or at least he was determined to be in the future. He smiled, knowing that he was getting better. Nearly good enough to show his father and to show him that he wasn't that bad at something.

The air returned to normal just before his door was suddenly thrown open, revealing Azula standing in the doorway with a smirk that already showed him that he was not going to like her visit.

"What do you want?" He snapped at her, preparing himself to hold himself in line.

"Dad is going to kill you." She eventually told him, looking actually somewhat happy at the idea.

As she explained what she had heard, Zuko felt himself drift off in thought, surely she was kidding. He started denying it, refusing to believe her even though she insisted in her wicked way. He barely noticed his mother coming in and pulling Azula with her. Instead he felt himself grow colder, dread building up in his stomach.

So it was just like he feared: his father didn't love him.

A second later his naivety and his need for his father's approval drove that thought away. That was ridiculous. Azula was lying.

As soon as had Azula left with his mother, he climbed on his bed and stared out in front of him. _She always lies_. He reminded himself, muttering it, repeating it a couple of times to remind himself that. He let himself fall down on his side and hid under his bedspread casting away the shadows underneath with the light he produced out of his inner fire until he fell asleep.

As he let himself accept the darkness that sleep brought, he couldn't help but wonder why his father would even want to kill him. He doesn't. Azula is just lying.

Then why did he felt like crying?

**~ Couple of hours later ~ **

He was being shaken. He sat up confused and frowned when he saw his mother hovering over him. He blinked. Why was his mother here?

His mother was talking to him, but he wasn't fully awake yet to realize what was going on. Why was she dressed like that?

"Mother?"

She took hold of his shoulders to get him to focus on her.

"I don't have much time Zuko. Everything I have done was for you. Remember that, because I love you more than anything in the world. Now, you have to listen to me and promise me something."

The ten-year-old rubbed his eyes, but nodded to show her that he was listening.

"Zuko, _listen_ to me. Do you remember the conversation we had a long time ago about the balance of Agni? Understanding the other side of firebending?" She asked him, talking softly but urgently.

"Yes." He said, confused why she seemed to be in such a hurry.

"Tell nobody of that gift alright?" It sounded more like an order than a request.

"What?"

"Not even your own father, _especially_ not your father. Your father has changed Zuko. His flame has become too dark. Don't tell him and be careful. If you feel the urge to tell someone, then go to your Uncle Iroh but make sure to keep it a secret otherwise." She ordered, shaking his shoulders to get him to look at her.

"Alright." He muttered, feeling disappointed that he wouldn't be able to show his father. Maybe he could just...?

"_Promise_ me Zuko." She repeated sternly this time.

Refusing to pout, he sighed and looked her in the eye. "I promise." He promised.

He promised his mother that and he wouldn't break his promise. The relieved smile he received from her made him feel as if his little sacrifice was worth it. Suddenly her head snapped up as if she heard something. "I have been here too long." He heard her mutter as she turned back to him.

"Thank you Zuko. Keep that promise. Don't forget who you are alright?"

She held his hand and opened her hand, with the palm facing upwards. He automatically shifted his hand to form the bird in the shadows of the moonlight and she smiled at him. Before he knew it, she had kissed him on his forehead, hugged him and left the room.

"Don't forget who you are." Were the last words that lingered behind in his mind, together with the secret he had promised to keep.

"I promise." He mumbled again, lying back down, not yet fully realizing that he wouldn't see his mother again the next day.

**~ End Chapter ~**

I love writing about the still naive child-Zuko. The part of his childhood is nearly done though, too bad.

Hope you enjoyed! Please review to share your thoughts with me.

Next time: Zuko's life turns around completely. Follow him as he picks up the Blue Spirit's mask.


	3. Frustrating Outset

**Summary**: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: A lot of thanks to **Beloved Daughter**!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Avatar the last airbender nor 'Into the Shadows' by the Rasmus

Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews! It encouraged me to work a little faster and harder for this chapter. Yes about three days, I was surprised myself. Anyway, the beginning of this chapter might not hold that much new information, but it important for me to make Zuko's clear for myself and my readers so that the story flows just a little better.

**Note**: I do not have a beta. I know my language is not the best there is and I was wondering if many people really thing that I need a beta, since it does slow down the updating process. Then again, maybe it could be beta-ed after updating? If anyone is interested or has any ideas review or send a PM if you feel more comfortable doing that - or both hehe. Important! Make sure that your PMing is _enabled _so that I can respond. Thank you very much. Edit: I have a beta now thank you! (see above)

Now enough rambling on my part!

Here is next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko as his life is turned around completely and he struggles to start over.

Enjoy!

**Chapter 3: Frustrating Outset**

_Sometimes _

_I feel I am going down and so disconnected_

_Somehow_

_I know that I am haunted to be wanted_

_~Into the Shadows, The Rasmus_

**~ Few years later ~ Fire Nation ~**

Zuko had never been able to tell his mother that he loved her just before she left. He had not told his uncle that he loved him ever since he had been a little kid. He had never been able to stand up to his little sister, who had continued to degrade him ever since his mother had left. There had only been one exception, which was the time that Zuko had taken his dagger back from Azula after she had nearly taken it for herself. It had been his uncle's gift to him and he would not allow his little devil of his sister to get her hands on that.

"_Never give up without a fight." _He wouldn't allow her to take that away from him.

It had been the only time he had actually seen a flicker of respect and fear in Azula's eyes. Though she had made sure to try making him forget that ever since by annoying him even more. But she had never tried to take the pearl dagger again.

That was enough for him.

He wondered if he would ever be able to do that again. Surely he would, right? His father would forgive his son if he pleaded right? He bowed his head as he heard everyone become even more silent than before. The only sounds he heard were the heavy and confident footsteps of his father coming closer.

His uncle had warned him not to speak up. He had at first refused to let him join the meeting. Yet, Zuko just had to be stubborn.

Why hadn't he listened to his uncle?

He looked up again, unable to do anything else than look his father in the eyes, letting his father's words run over him. They reminded him of his mother's last advice_. "Not even your own father, especially not your father. Your father has changed Zuko__. H__is flame has become too dark. Don't tell him and be careful around him._" He hadn't told his father anything yet and for a moment the young boy finally started to understand just what his mother meant with those words.

His father was angry, bitter and ruthless man. A dangerous man.

Should he fight after all? He tried to stand up but his unexplainable love towards his father made him unable too.

Tears steamed down his face as he tried to plead for forgiveness in front of everyone he knew. "I refuse to fight you father." _I will not fight my father. _Was left unspoken. At that moment it didn't matter that his father was the Fire Lord, one of the strongest Firebenders in the Fire Nation.

He was his family. He had lost his mother. He did not want to lose his father too.

The look in his father's eyes was difficult to dissect but the disappointment was clear. Then his father looked at him with such disgust that he shrunk further down. His heart felt like it was drowning in sorrow knowing that his father was going to hurt him. The man drew back his hand, bright fire blazing. "You will learn respect and pain will be your teacher." He stated as he threw himself forward towards his thirteen-year-old son.

Zuko eyes widened in horror and he closed his eyes at the last moment in order to protect it.

Not a second later, all he could focus on was the pain on the side of his head. It burned so bad! It hurt! It was too hot! Instinctively, the young boy drew the warmth away from it. Especially from his eye which hurt the most. Locking the heat away, he cried out in pain as silently as possible again and again, trying not to embarrass himself any further.

His father hated him.

He didn't have anyone anymore. He didn't belong anywhere anymore. Was he going to die?

A pair of strong and warm eyes picked him up as gently as possible and soothing words tried to comfort the suffering boy.

"Shhh… calm down, Nephew. Shhh… It will be alright… I'm here. I'm here Zuko. I will watch over you." The voice was warm and calming – though there was undertone of panic and fear in his voice – and very familiar.

Uncle. Yes, he still had Uncle. He would stick to him. He would live for him. Maybe he would be able to make him proud.

Then everything went black.

**~ Half a year later ~ Earth Nation ~**

A pair of golden eyes snapped open at the vague memories that still haunted him. He didn't like those dreams. It reminded him of what he had lost, but he didn't want to forget either since it was one of the few memories that he could hold onto of the few family members that loved him.

Uncle.

His mother.

"I promise." He muttered once again and reached up to his face. His scar would make sure he would always remember that. It was difficult to live with the scar. People never really looked him in the eye anymore and in the first few months of travelling he avoided looking in the mirror. He had flinched away from any warmth that touched that side of his face for a long time.

Still Zuko could be counted lucky. He had acted quickly when he had been burned by his fa… when he had been burned. He had instinctively managed to draw away the worst of the heat from the flame that had been burning his skin. Even though his skin had still scarred and hurt from time to time, the color was lighter than most other burns his Uncle had seen. Mysteriously, his eye still worked properly, something that many people tend to underestimate.

That was one of the very few advantages of the scar.

Still the scar was quite noticeable, but less when he was standing in a darker spot.

Like the shadows.

Zuko let out a heavy sigh and shook his head as he went to get ready for another day. It was just another day of trying to complete the near impossible quest of finding the Avatar. Still, Zuko was determined to try. He missed his home. There might be some things that he would never be able to get back when he restored his honor, like his mother, but there were many other aspects of his life that he longed to have back.

His sword fighting lessons with Hibiki-sensei. The climate of the Fire Nation, the places were he would sit with mother, the food and his few friends. Mai.

Home.

Zuko gritted his teeth as he forced himself to squish the homesickness he felt. He had messed up. He was just paying the consequences. He had to suck it up. This was most likely going to be his new life. Travelling the world, searching, just like his mother once said.

'After all, it is unlikely that I will catch an Avatar that nobody has heard of for a hundred years already.'

He quickly squashed that thought too. He only had _one_ purpose at the moment. One goal. Find the Avatar and then catch him. Result: he would regain his honor and would be welcomed back to his home in open arms. He clenched his fist, reminding himself of his goal.

'Don't start doubting yourself. Don't doubt father. He did it to teach me.'

'He still cares about me.'

If he didn't have that little hope left, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to cope with the world.

With that frustrated thought, he slammed the door behind him as he stomped towards the deck where his Uncle was most likely drinking one of his five cups of morning tea. The crewmembers that he met on his way got out of his way in a practiced manner that implied experience with the Prince's mood.

Training would do him some good.

**~ A few hours later ~**

"No Prince Zuko, mind your footwork. Put more power into your movements. Make them heavy and remember to breathe out in strong and short breaths." Iroh reminded the young prince as he noticed that the prince was once again slacking in the firm and heavy footsteps of his kata.

The little reminder did its work as the Prince immediately corrected himself while working on the new kata. After having asked his uncle many times – he refused to call it whining because he absolutely did not whine – for new firebending moves, his Uncle had finally given in.

Zuko was struggling with it though.

This form relied on a lot of power and rash movements, giving the style its character of being brutal and full of anger. It was one of the styles that Iroh disliked the most, even more ever since he had met the dragons. However, it was a style that many firebenders in the army preferred to use, as most still believed that rage was the best emotion to produce fire. So if Zuko ever got into a situation where he needed to fight someone who used that style, it would be good for him to be prepared.

And what was a better way to predict the opponent's moves when you had at least some personal basic experience with the style?

An angry and frustrated growl alerted Iroh that his nephew was reaching the limit of his patience. Iroh was actually slightly surprised that the style didn't fit with his nephew's character. As much as he loved the young prince, the old man knew that he had enough anger and frustration in him that could – as a matter of speaking - fuel a whole army.

However, instead of being disappointed that his nephew didn't fit the style, he felt relieved. Ever since his nephew had been… scarred… his emotions had turned for the worst. His nephew was struggling. Iroh still remembered the little boy that had shyly knocked on his door when he had still been mourning his son's death. The boy had greeted him politely like he had been taught – a small bow to his superior – and preceded to sit silently with him. He hadn't spoken up to tell his uncle stories, but instead just silently waited with understanding and his own grief.

Lu Ten had been his favorite cousin after all.

It had been that same young boy that had been prepared to listen to all his stories about his son and to shyly share a few of his own with his uncle about his cousin. It had been that same little boy that had helped him gather the strength to bring him back on his feet. It had been something that no one else from the family had tried to do.

Especially not the person that he almost refused to call his brother anymore after Iroh had seen him strike down his own son.

He would never forgive his little brother for that. He glanced down at his tea and noticed that it was it was suddenly too hot to drink. He sighed and set it down to cool.

In the meantime he followed his nephew's movements as he started over again. Every bender had his or her own preferred style, even though Zuko didn't seem to acknowledge that fact very much. His nephew often saw himself as a failure when something didn't work out, never mind that he didn't have the body build or attitude to fit the style as it should.

Amused, Iroh played with his favorite lotus tile. _At least he never gives up. _He noted when he saw that the young man had stopped again. This time steam was nearly coming out of his ears from frustration.

He thought back to moves that Zuko had been doing and frowned ever so slightly. Zuko was surprisingly light on his feet today. That didn't go well with the style he was practicing and Zuko seemed to notice that as he abruptly stopped after the first five moves of the kata and started stomping on the ground as if to make his feet heavier.

'No, that won't do any good.'

Iroh thought as he quickly moved over to the teenager. It was a rare skill for a firebender to be light on his feet, seeing as the anger usually made their moves rushed and heavy.

"Prince Zuko, stop." He interrupted his charge, as the boy was about to try it once more.

Said prince sagged slightly forward in defeat, disappointed that Uncle thought he was so bad that he decided to stop him. He scowled, angry with himself that he had been sneaking around so much. It just happened automatically. Being stealthy was something he felt good to be doing. It had gotten to him, connected with him and it was easy to get into the moves but Zuko had difficulty stepping away from it.

It was quite annoying that Firebending was such a straightforward and heavy art, in contrast to hiding in the shadows and bending light that came with it. Usually Zuko could turn the switch in his head when he wanted to firebend after having practiced his silent footwork, but unfortunately it was harder when he hadn't slept very well.

Which was the case today. Stupid dreams and memories.

Unable to contain his frustration with himself, his clenched fists blazed with fire.

"Prince Zuko, calm yourself!" The sudden order, made him snap out of his thoughts and Zuko glanced up at his uncle who was given him a pointed look.

'Calm down. I can calm down.' He told himself. He quickly took a calming breath of air, feeling the comforting heat and light around him, ready to be used if he wanted to. The sunshine on his face gave him a little extra energy and with that he steadied his inner fire and tried to create some distance between the flame and his emotions.

When he opened his eyes again, he saw Uncle carefully watching him. A flash of… something flickered in his eyes but it was gone too fast to know what it was.

"Prince Zuko, everyone has a different style when it comes to firebending. Not everyone will be able to master all the styles, but it is good to know what other people might use so you could use it against them in the future."

He received an odd look. "Why would I have to fight against another fire bender? That will never happen."

His uncle was silent for a moment before slowly shaking his head. "Never say never, Prince Zuko." He started and held his hand up when the prince was about to protest. "You can not see the future, nor is it set in stone. It is always good to be prepared. It doesn't matter if it is to fight against firebender rogues or other situations that calls for it."

'Most unlikely.' Zuko thought, but didn't voice it. 'I will catch the Avatar, regain my honor and then go home.'

"It will also allow you to get inspired by the style and enable you to make some moves your own." His uncle continued and Zuko suddenly had the feeling that he knew exactly what he had been thinking.

Zuko nodded at that. "That sounds reasonable." He agreed and started analyzing the things he had just done. Maybe he could tweak that one arm movement in a sword…

"Well that is enough training for today." Iroh smiled at him, knowing that he had gotten to his nephew on the last part. His thoughtful expression told the man enough. Still, he made a note to look out for more signs that he had spotted today. If his nephew was able to become as fast and light on his feet as he hoped he could be, then he knew the perfect style for him.

But that would come later. It was time for some more tea.

"How about you join me in a game of Pai Sho?" He offered the teenager and watched in amusement when the teenager's face grimaced ever so slightly.

"Ah, no. I will pass, Uncle." He declined.

"Then how about some tea?" His uncle tried again.

Shaking his head in puzzlement at his uncle's addiction to the tea he reclined the offer – which he got nearly every hour of the day.

"No thank you Uncle. Will we be able to set course to the Eastern Air Temple this afternoon?" He asked instead, undeterred to give up on his search.

His uncle frowned ever so slightly but eventually nodded. "Yes we could manage that, but maybe it is best that we let the crew rest for a b…"

"Alright then, I'm in my room, please do not disturb me before we leave." He ignored his uncle's suggestion and squinted his eyes into the direction that they would go. Iroh sighed, recognizing the teenager's expression. It was the expression he wore whenever he would focus on his quest. He would be frustrated, easy to anger and very stubborn.

He wouldn't change his mind.

Iroh glancing at his nephew as Zuko passed him and left the deck. The crewmembers of the ship looked at each other with mixed expressions: some irritation, other a slight pity while others just rolled their eyes at the banished Prince's behavior.

Iroh sighed as he sat back down on his usual spot and let himself fall into meditation with his hot tea in hand.

**~ Four months later ~ Earth Nation ~**

The search in the air temple had been fruitless. There had been no Avatar. There hadn't been anyone. Going there hadn't done his search any good.

Which in turn, unsurprisingly, didn't do Prince Zuko's mood any good either.

Said prince was growling and frowning and sulking like he had never done before. All the crew members, who were pretty much used to the cranky teenager, seemed to give him even more space than usual. His hands clenched around the metal of the railing as he watched them near the harbor of one of the more successful Earth Nation cities that the Fire Nation had occupied.

Even though the flags were there, it wasn't like home at all.

"Prince Zuko…" The voice behind him had a tone to it that let him know that his uncle was prepared to share some more of his wisdom with him.

"It's nothing, Uncle." He nearly whispered, frustrated because he was feeling so frustrated. It was a never-ending cycle of frustration that he didn't seem to be able to break within himself, especially not today.

"Sometimes it is good to let your feelings out, Nephew." His uncle was calling him Nephew… he was worried about him then. He might be right, but he wouldn't.

No he couldn't. Something was blocking him from doing so. It was in him, refusing to let go of his frustration that was fuelling his anger. He wanted it to let go. He wanted to feel happy, but he didn't think that that would happen if he really let it go. He would only feel empty. He refused to feel that way because it was one thing that scared him more than feeling incredibly frustrated.

Emptiness was having no goal.

"Not now, Uncle." He retorted.

"How about we talk over some te…"

"No Uncle, I am sick of…!" The teenager growled at his uncle and suddenly stopped. Shame flickered in the teenager's eyes. He was taking out his frustrations on the one person he relied on.

"I… I have to go for a walk." He managed and fled the desk, going to his room to get another robe with a hood so he could go out in the city while the ship stocks were being replenished.

As he stormed of the ship, his Uncle watched him leave with sad eyes.

"Oh Agni. Why did you have to leave Ursa?" Iroh questioned no one in particular as he looked up at the sun, knowing the reason for his nephew's cold behavior that day.

Today it was the day that she had left.

The sun didn't provide him with an answer and the old man turned around, facing the crew with a smile as if nothing had happened. "So if anyone needs to get a new instrument he better be quick, because tomorrow will be another music evening and it would be a shame if we do not all participate."

None of the crewmembers made a move to remind the old man that there was a particular young man that never really participated at all, but instead agreed loudly.

One had to respect that old man for being so unaffected while facing that grumpy boy.

**~ A few hours later ~**

Zuko stomped around, though the steps were less heated than they had been before. He was sure that he would be able to perform the new firebending style a lot easier if he were to try it right now, but – however angry and grumpy he may look or act - he disliked the idea of having to feel this way to be good at something.

Bending the light around him had always felt so calming in comparison.

The prince tugged his hood a little further over his face to hide his face with the help of a little light bending and continued his way. He glanced at the many booths and stalls around him. They were preparing for a small-scale festival today it seemed. He wasn't very knowledgeable with the celebrations of the Earth Nation, but he remembered that it had something to do with the spirits. Which was most likely the case.

At least if the offerings and the masks that were all over the place indicated anything.

Brushing past people, as the roads got busier, his inner turmoil continued to swirl around in circles. He had to find the Avatar and he would go back. His father didn't really love him right? Would his few friends accept him when he came back again? How could his father hit his own son?

He doubted he would have done this had it been Azula…

With a heavy sigh the prince let himself forget it for just a minute and he looked up to see where he had wandered in the mean time.

A blue color caught his attention and he focused on the object that was displayed in one of the smaller booths at the edge of the clearing.

It was a blue and white mask. It looked creepy at first glance, as if its laughing face was silently mocking him and his situation. He expected himself to be angry about that but he was surprisingly calm. The two long teeth that stuck out of his mouth and its strange nose made the mask even more disturbing. The two long ears gave it the appearance of a vengeful spirit and all in all, the mask couldn't be seen as pretty.

It was just a stupid mask.

Yet, Zuko felt a pull towards the mask. He suddenly remembered the white simple mask that he had left behind at his home. He remembered the feeling of being nearly invisible and sneaking around the palace. There even had been one time that he had snuck out of the palace, but it had been storming so hard that night that he had quickly gone back in. It didn't matter to him much but he had reveled about the fact that he had been able to sneak in and out.

The freedom he had felt… being unrecognizable. It was like having a second identity.

Zuko wasn't really aware of how much time had passed, but the pull towards the mask got stronger. Glancing at the other masks in the booth he knew that he could just take another one if he wanted to. There were plenty of other masks. Plainer ones. Less creepy ones. Less mocking ones.

Yet none of them was as… special… as this one.

"May I help you Sir?" A voice nearly whispered to him. The teenager's head snapped into the direction of the sound and was met with the sight of an old and short woman.

Her pure white hair was braided back into a short braid with several feathers decorating it. Her wrinkled face didn't show any malice but instead a calm and wise wisdom he had seen on his Uncle's face once in a while. Her simple and inelegant green kimono enveloped her short figure and its wide sleeves hid her hands as she folded them together. Two simple brown sandals were bound to her feet. Yet, it was her light gray eyes that stood out the most, a color you didn't see much these days.

She was watching him patiently as he studied her, making eye contact even though the shadows must be hiding most of his face.

"Ah…" Zuko suddenly felt awkward, standing there, realizing that he must have been staring at a mask with an intensity that he hadn't felt in a long time.

"You are looking at the mask of the Blue Spirit." She said, either not noticing or ignoring his awkwardness completely. "Never has anyone shown interest in that particular mask." She continued, though it sounded as if she was talking to herself in wonder instead of talking to him.

"Why?" He questioned, still staring at the mask, feeling the urge to try it on.

"There is a legend, that the Blue Spirit chooses those worthy enough to wear this mask. He was a spirit that left this world a long time ago, living in the shadows and watching over the people that ask for his guiding. Guiding those that had strayed away from their path or lost their faith in their future."

A little feeling of excitement tingled in Zuko's neck as he heard how familiar that sounded.

"Unfortunately, the stories about him have turned into ghost stories and faith in his legend has been lost." The woman told him, getting closer to the mask and used a cloth to get the mask from where it was hanging.

She held it out to him.

Zuko stared, feeling the pull getting stronger and suddenly he felt slightly afraid. Was the mask cursed? Was it playing with his mind?

"That is just a random story you are telling." He accused her, taking a step back.

The old woman smiled at him. "That is possible, but it would be a shame if you – someone who might doubt his path – would never be able to find out if you were to walk away."

"There are more masks. This is just a trick to sell it." He insisted, starting to get suspicious and was about to turn away when something stopped him.

'_Just take the mask.'_

Was it his own thought telling him that? Or had it been something else entirely?

"My husband has worn it for some time himself." She simply said.

The prince turned back to the woman and reached for the mask, pausing for a moment he touched it and suddenly he felt a part of his inner turmoil calm itself down.

"How much?" He asked, his hand traveling over the mask's design.

"It had been waiting there too long for it to be worth anything." The woman defended, but Zuko didn't listen to her, having a feeling that she could use some money with the way she was dressed. For the first time in their conversation he actually paid attention to her. She looked tired and her clothes, though clean, were wrinkled. She was someone who worked hard, he realized, looking at her wise eyes.

Who knows, her husband might be ill. Her daughter might have problems.

Yet she was giving it away for free.

He should feel suspicious, but for some reason he felt calm.

"Thank you." He nodded his head to her to show his appreciation and put it in the bag he had with him.

The sad smile that the woman gave him puzzled him, but he didn't comment on it. "Don't worry about it. Good luck." She said, giving the young man in front of her a deeper bow than was required, puzzling the teenager even more.

She turned around to put the cloth back where it belonged and glanced back over her shoulder. An amused spark flashed in her eyes as she saw the spot where he had stood just a few seconds ago empty, the boy nowhere in sight.

The only thing that even showed that he had been there were the few coins that he had left behind on the wooden surface next to her.

"I think he will be just fine." She murmured softly as she took the coins in her hand, knowing that it was just enough for some extra medicine.

She smiled and gave a small bow into the open space in front of her, knowing that the boy would most-likely still be watching her from a distance. She knew his type. The boy had given her even more than necessary, an act of thanks.

"No thank _you_. Blue Spirit."

**~End Chapter ~ **

Third chapter is done. Now Zuko is nearly ready to start the series and has settled himself in his inner familiar conflict. Not to forget – nearly the most important thing – he has finally received the Spirit's mask! I love the mysterious-hidden-identity stuff.

I think I'm really going to like writing some Blue Spirit action. Hehe. Any suggestions for some cool hero-like situations anyone?

Hope you liked it! Please review!

Next: Some Blue-Spirit (saving the day) action!


	4. Facing Reality

**Title**: Into the Shadows

**Author**: Dreamyin

**Character**: Zuko-centric

**Pairings**: Still undecided

**Summary**: "Dont be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: Doesn't have one. Please let me know if I have made any really big mistakes. Thanks.

Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews!

Here is next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko as he starts his own legend as the Blue Spirit and is faced with the truth about some of his naive views on the Fire Nation's attitude.

**Warning**: This chapter contains a hint about a possible harassment. If you do not want to read this, please skip to halfway the page, the second ~'one year later~'. Thank you Cheza the Flower Maiden for the suggestion, I hope you like it.

Hope you enjoy!

**Chapter 4: Facing Reality**

_I've been watching_

_I've been waiting_

_In the shadows all my time_

_~Into the Shadows, the Rasmus_

**~ About one year later ~ **

Zuko let out a sigh of relief.

It was great to get away from the ship for a while. The crew was finally allowed to have a few days off as long as they kept the ship guarded. They would have shifts of who would get a couple of hours freedom in the city that they were resting at.

His uncle had most likely already acquired some new special brands of tea and was preparing it at the moment.

For Zuko, it was the perfect occasion to forget about his near impossible quest.

No Avatar right now. No disappointed father that he would eventually make regret that he had banning him and welcome him back with open arms. No thinking about his little sister that would annoy him as much as possible. No thinking about his mother.

Well, his mother was a topic he was allowed to think of. He would be alright with that since he would honor her by the identity that he had now created. Zuko paused his steps and looked up to the moon that stood high in the sky.

Without any cloud in the sky, he calmly formed the shadow bird that he had come to love.

He would soar for her. He would fly for her. He would become great. He might be a failure as Prince Zuko, but he would prove his worth through the Blue Spirit.

_'Help out those that need me, _like Mother would want me to do.'

He ignored the strange itchy feeling at his scar as he thought that. After all, he had been thinking that on his own right?

Even though he might have pondered about it any other time, this night he was restless. He waved the wings of his shadow birld one more time and then started his sprint.

He would create a new name for himself. For his mother.

Zuko took another deep breath, enjoying every sensation that went through him.

No matter how many times he jumped across the rooftops; no matter how many times he blended in with the shadows; no matter how many times he enjoyed the cooling sensation that the mask created on his scar when he put it on, Zuko loved every minute of his second identity.

He leaped towards the other side of the street and was just in time to grasp the edge of the room to pull himself back up.

If people would have spotted him, they would startle at the sigh of an agile black figure with a blue and white mask that seemed to shine in the moonlight. Luckily for Zuko, the shadows around him caused the pair of drunken Fire Nation guards to miss him completely.

The sake might have helped too...

Zuko had already noticed them, but he was confident in his ability by now and continued to sneak across the rooftops.

He carefully studied the abandoned streets around him and took notice of every stranger that walked down the street. He was training himself to become more and more aware of his surroundings.

Some might call him being unhealthy, saying that he was training to become paranoid. Yet Zuko wanted to be able to watch the people. He wanted to keep an eye out for danger.

_To protect those worthy._

Yes that too. He silently nodded to himself.

With that last thought, Zuko slipped into the darkness. He ignored the drunken laughs and shouts behind him that indicated that the two guards where still there. After all, they were harmless. They were two loyal Fire Nation soldiers and though Zuko silently frowned upon the act of drinking during one's break, he decided that those soldiers were most likely trustworthy enough to know their limit.

After all, that was what he had been taught. Very soon however, he would be reminded that not everything he had been taught as Prince Zuko was to be seen as the truth.

**~ About an half hour later ~ **

Jumping. Running. Rolling. Ducking. Shifting the light around him. Somersaulting. Keeping warm. Stretching to catch the roofs edge. Leaping into an alley. Climbing up a wall and on the roof again. Taking a short breath and get back to running and jumping around.

Seeing as he was keeping himself busy with all these exercises, it came to no surprise that Zuko slowly started to become tired. The young prince was very good in shape, having been training whole his life and pushed as far as he could, but he could feel the strain he was putting on himself by all acrobatics that he had been pulling of.

Standing on another rooftop and stretching his arms over his head, he decided that it was time to head back. His uncle wasn't going to be very happy with him that he came back so later, but he knew that Zuko had grown up very quickly over the last year.

Zuko knew it himself. As the Blue Spirit he felt even more mature than when he was Prince Zuko. Having fought several bandits on his journeys to help out travellers and a couple of thugs here and there, helped to show him that the world wasn't very trustworthy.

Still, all those people had been Earth Nation. Poor people that had been desperate to get some money to support their families, or simply just scum that refused to believe what others thought. Those who misused the power they had and refused to stick to the responsibilities that it carried with them.

It where at those moments that Zuko understood what his father was trying to accomplish. They had to show the people how to live. They had to be the great example. Even though Zuko still didn't understand why it meant that those generals had to sacrifice those young inexperienced soldiers he was afraid to doubt his father again.

Surely his father was not a man that simply wanted to have more power. Surely he did it out of goodness for the world, just like his ancestors before him.

So simply because it was what he had been taught to do, he ignored that little bit of self-doubt that he had start to develop.

After all, he was a banished Prince, what did he know? No, right now he did not want to think about this. He was not a Prince at the moment. Princes didn't sneak around like he did, like some kind of criminal – which he wasn't. At the moment he was free.

Shaking his masked face, Zuko pushed himself out of the reverie he had gotten himself into. He was still crouched on the roof, right in a shadow provided by the higher building next to it.

His head picked up as he heard two hushed voices speaking quickly to each other. There was a sense of unease in the voices. Feeling still a bit twitchy and restless, Zuko leaned around the corner of the higher building to see where the girly voices came from.

"Common Ayaki! We are already late! My dad is going to kill me!"

The voices belonged to two teenage girls. The shortest had long brown hair that ran down her back till her waist. It had been neatly packed away in a very complicated looking braid. She wore a simple Earth-Nation dress that fit her very well, making Zuko believe that she was about lower middle-class.

Next to her – about a head taller than the other girl – was the seemingly older of the two. While he guessed the shorter girl to be about fifteen years old, she would come close to between sixteen and seventeen. The older girl had very dark brown and curlier hair that nearly looked black in the night. She had a much shorter haircut, her hair just reaching past her shoulders. Instead of a dress, the girl was wearing a longer and slim shirt and shorts underneath it.

"Calm down Hana-chan! We can't just run around like that! I don't want to run across any Fire Nation soldiers!" Said Satomi said right back to the younger girl.

Zuko narrowed his eyes as he saw the two sneak around. The situation was somewhat clear. They had most likely been running late and were now very uncomfortable to head back home.

The fact that he had been sneaking around in the neighbourhood for the last couple of hours kept himself from becoming worried about them. After all the only people he had seen at this time of the night had been those Fire Nation soldiers.

Surely those would make it home safely?

Contented with that though, Zuko was about to head back to the ship. Turning around, he was already navigating his way back when he was suddenly hit by a feeling of uncertainty.

Where had that come from?

Looking to the left in the direction in which the two girls had disappeared two and then to the right into the direction of the harbours, Zuko silently cursed this sudden unease.

_'I have to follow those girls.' _'I have to get back to the ship'._ 'They might not make it home safely'_. 'There are only those guards.'_ 'They are drunk.' _'They are trustworthy Fire Nation soldiers' _'but they are drunk.' _ Zuko gritted his teeth at his inner conflict.

He was tired and wanted to sleep, but he was restless too. Suddenly he was very much aware of the fact that he was wearing the mask. It was cool against his skin, against his scar. He wanted to move. He wanted to sleep.

Trying to shake the tiredness out of his limbs, the fifteen-year-old teenager made his decision.

**~Scene Break ~ **

They had been late. They had been scared. They had been hopeful that walking through one of the thinner and quieter streets would have made sure they were home earlier.

They had been stupid.

Satomi suddenly felt herself tense completely as they turned around the corner. They had been so close to home that they had neglected to glance around this corner.

She silently cursed silently to herself, having been told the horror stories by friends and other people around her about what could happen when you walked through the streets at this time of the night.

They aren't pretty and Satomi wasn't naive at all. Call her paranoid, but she at least knew that the world wasn't perfectly grey and white. Especially when it concerned Fire Nation, then it often was as black as ash.

The first sentence that came out of on of the soldiers mouth made her even more wary.

"Lokuh wha we have hurrr." The largest of the man slurred as Satomi hurriedly took some steps back, her arm pushing her younger friend behind her in an act of protection.

Shit they were drunk.

"Two litt lost irls?" The other slurred too.

The little girl reference made her ready to run. Maybe she could drag Hana with her if they took a run for it. Would they follow? Were they drunk enough?

"Please let us pass, Sir." She tried to be polite, hoping that the dread that was building up in her stomach would prove to be false.

As she continued to inch around the pair, still holding the fearful Hana behind her. Just as they were about to bold, a larg hand shot out to stop her by grabbing her arm. She gave a fearful cry as she was pulled towards the man.

"No no no ". The bulkiest one slurred as he held her back again his breast plate." No- no neewd fur tha"

"Letsss plaaay eh ghame furst!" The other continued as he made a grab for her younger friend.

Satomi struggled when she saw it and felt the tears prickling in the corner of her eyes. "Let go!" She screamed. She kicked against the soldiers legs but they were also protected by armour.

"Urgh no so loud!" She felt the man breath in her neck as she said that. She shuddered and had to keep herself from crying.

"Let go!" She screamed. "Run Hana! Help Someone He- " A hand clamped itself over her mouth and she started crying.

She watched with wide eyes as the other man advanced towards Hana, who was staring at her with helpless shocked eyes. She was too fearful and loyal to leave her behind. They had known each other since Hana had been born; their mothers had been best friends. She couldn't leave her best friend behind.

Satomi screamed again as she felt the man's hand move towards her hair. "Ya pretty" the man breathed again as his hand went through her hair. Then it went down to her neck, shoulder and followed her shape, making her squim in fright.

The tears were now streaming down her cheeks. "Hana run!" She tried to shout but it came out muffled.

It was as if her worst nightmare had come true.

Hana screamed when the man grabbed her braid and Satomi was nearly about to give up hope when suddenly the shadow near the pair extended and became so dark that she couldn't see them anymore. Hana! Satomis eyes widened even further in distress. Where was her friend?

She saw a flash of blue in the darkness. The soldier that was caught in the shadows shouted something so slurred that she couldn't understand what he was saying. It sounded like a curse though. She allowed just a little bit hope to grow again before there was a heavy 'umph'.

Suddenly the air around the two changed back to normal and both the girls gasped as they caught sigh of the stranger. Said stranger swung down the hilt of the dagger that he had in his hand.

And hit the man right in the neck.

Hana, who had just been in full panic froze as the soldier that had just caught her slumped down, he would have collapsed on her had the stranger not pulled her away by her arm.

The sudden contact made her scream, but a hand on the mouth stopped her. The combination would have scared her and made her struggle – it scared Satomi who was still being held by a dumb folded drunken soldier – but the hand quickly released her as soon as she was safe. The hand that had been on her mouth only a second before, shifted itself to a sushing hand gesture, with one finger up to tell her to be silent.

Hana stood frozen in relief and slight fear as she stared at the stranger. When the figure finally turned around Satomi started to understand why she was so taken back.

The mask was creepy. It was blue and white and was laughing at her in a mocking way. The most creepy was the eyes. All she saw was darkness, instead of a pair of eyes.

The Blue Mask pushed Hana away into the direction they had been going, as if he was saying that she should get going. Then he focused back on the conscious soldier that was still holding Satomi. She squirmed as the grasp suddenly became so tense that she found it difficult to breath.

"Wha the fu-?" She heard the man yell in surprise. The young stranger in front of her calmly walked up to the pair and started circling them. She didn't really know what he was doing until she felt the man jump at sudden moments, becoming more and more twitchy and afraid. As if he couldn't see at all.

Before she knew it she heard a sound of steel against steel. The dagger held the sword away from her and he kicked the soldier in the chest. The man was so drunk that he fell on his butt and lost grip of both her and his sword.

It was pathetic and Satomi silently sobbed in relief as she run to Hana. They quickly hugged and held each other as they turned back to the stranger who was currently standing over the now-unconscious soldier. He leaned over the man, his back turned to them. They couldn't really see what he was doing but as soon as he was done he heaved up his small black backpack back on his back.

Something that seemed to be hilts of two swords stuck out of it.

In the mean time the girls had been slowly inching away from him, unsure of what to do.

He had saved them alright, but what were his intentions? They glanced at each other and then both gave the man a quick bow, hoping that he was friendly like they thought he was.

He gave a light bow back to them. He then straightened and put his finger on his lip.

'Please remain silent about this'. He seemed to say. They both nodded quickly and repeatedly. He nodded again, as if saying thank you. Then he crossed his hands by his thumb as he placed them on his chest. They both gasped as suddenly everything went dark in front of their eyes.

When they could see again he was gone, leaving only two unconscious soldiers in his wake.

The girls glanced around suspiciously as they continued their way home, where they were received with lectures and relieved hugs. Satomi and Hana decided not to tell anyone about the stangers abilities. That would be their secret. It wasn't like anyone would believe them if they did anyway.

After all, there was no such thing as darkness or shadow bending.

**~ Scene Break ~ **

Back at the ship, the fifteen-year-old Prince Zuko stared out in front of him.

Those Fire Nation soldiers had just been like those other thugs. No they had been worse. They had been about to...- His mind couldn't grasp it. He had gotten the talk about the bees and the birds a long time ago, but he had also been taught to behave properly toward the other sex. This idea of what they had seemingly wanted to do had been horrible.

Absurd. Hideous. Absolutely revolting.

Zuko shivered and shook his head in an attempt to get rid of the confusion. _'They are Fire Nation'. _Being drunk was no excuse for Prince Zuko. How were they supposed to show the world how to act if the people themselves acted like this?

The war alone was already bad enough. Prince Zuko drew in the heat around him because he was shivering at the rebellious and traitorous thoughts that were forming in his mind.

_'The war is good for nothing, only destruction.' _

'It is to bring peace and unity to the world.' He remembered one of his many teacher tell him.

_'Hypocrite. Lies. '_A little voice in the back of his head called right back.

Full of doubts and confusion the young Prince eventually fell asleep. The next morning he kept telling himself that this had been just a fluke. He had saved the Fire Nations honour by stopping those two soldiers and they would regret their actions when they woke up and never to that again.

After all, if he didn't believe that, why would he be looking for the Avatar?

The Fire Nation shouldn't be stopped. He had a quest and a home to return to. He couldn't bring himself to squish that little hope he had left. Yet the other side him, the one that wasn't buried under the heavy weight of expectations, responsibilities of a banished crown Prince, nor aiming to follow his father's mission, decided that the Fire Nation wasn't as perfect at all.

The next months he continued searching, once in a while escaping in the Blue Spirits identity when he needed it and aiding those that needed him. It made him feel better and gave him just the little extra push to continue his travels.

Except for these little excursions, his Uncle continued to stand by his side. Slowly he –feeling lonely – started to silently listen to the crew as they shared stories in the evening to get to know his crew a little better. He was careful to remain unnoticed though, feeling that if he started to form bonds with the crew, he would become sidetracked from his mission.

His only goal. _Useless goal._ His only hope.

How long did he have to wait for the first signs of the Avatar? Or more important, would he be able to keep in check of his mental stability until then?

At least he had the Blue Mask, or he would have lost himself completely in the bitterness and resent feelings by now.

**~ One year later ~**

It was early in the morning. So early, that the sky was barely getting lighter. Yet, the few rays of sunlight were enough to wake the resting figure lying on a pile of hair. A soft groan erupted from a creepy blue mask as its owner woke up from his short nap.

Trying to remember where he was, the young man glanced at his surroundings to see if everything was as it should be.

Zuko reached behind his mask to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes, remembering the reason why he had gone out last night.

After another visit to another air temple that took a couple of months, they had once again stopped to rest at the harbour of one of the Earth Nation cities. No Avatar. No signs of him either. It was like everything he was doing didn't change anything.

He was once again back at the start. It had been the last of the four Air Temples they had checked.

The Avatar wasn't there.

Just like last time, Zuko had stormed off the ship after feeling helpless and frustrated about the whole situation. He didn't want his temper to get the better of him again. A couple of nights stalking around as Blue Spirit would calm him down.

Hopefully.

At least that was what happened on his other little outing as the Blue Spirit. Every once in a while Zuko would tell his Uncle that he was going to travel on his own for a couple of days to find information about the Avatar.

It was difficult to convince the old man to let his dear nephew go out alone for a few days but eventually accepted the fact that his nephew could take care of himself. Well, eventually it had taken a lot of successful trainings and convincing – absolutely no whining of course – before his Uncle had agreed.

Still, it allowed Zuko to feel like he was actually doing something. Not that going out alone made his search for the Avatar any more successful. He always came back empty-handed but on the other hand he had earned a lot of experience during his trips.

So last day he had travelled to this little small town that was just a couple of hours walking from the harbour that they had

Stretching his sore muscles – that is what you get when you decide to sleep in a pile of hay for a few hours– he made sure he was warmed up again and ready to go.

The blue mask was still fastened to his head like it had been a few hours ago. He checked the knot at the back, easy to remove if the situations called for him when one recognised but difficult to get off in a fight. It seemed that he was able to sleep with it without slipping it off. Good.

Glancing around the quiet barn that he had sneaked into a few hours ago to get some sleep, he was satisfied with the fact that he hadn't left any evidence behind. After another quick stretch, he fluently slipped out of the window, silently glad that it was early in the morning so he wouldn't be spotted so easily.

He kept low on the rooftops, making sure to check every opening between the rooftops that he had to jump over before he did. Last time he had been spotted this way, just when he had been hiding and running away from a group of soldiers after trying to get their attention so that a woman had time to get away from him.

He had kicked their ass for harassing that poor woman later.

Unfortunately he hadn't really been counting on more reinforcement, but luckily he had been able to hide again after a long run. The experience had pushed him to become even sneakier though.

Hopping over to another roof he searched for a good abandoned alley that he could use to quickly change from identity. A soft yell quickly brought the search to an end. His curiosity took the best of him as Zuko followed the sound of a scuffle taking place.

It didn't take Zuko long to stumble on the scene in front of him.

His eyes narrowed at the sight. It looked like he would be able to take out his frustration again.

**~ End Chapter ~ **

I hope everone like the Blue Spirit action. I will finish the last part in the next chapter if everyone like this chapter and then we will head onto the canon. I'm still unsure whether I should stick to the original plot, make it just a little more personal, or change it completely.

Ah well, it gives me something to think about.

In the mean time, please let me know what you think! Motivation! I would appreciate that very much!

So now what would you guys like? More BlueSpirit in the future or more try to find a little shadowy sneaky skill? Or should I hurry up to get to the plot?

Till next time!


	5. Starting Rumours

**Summary**: "Dont be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: Doesn't have one. Please let me know if I have made any really big mistakes. Thanks.

Hello everyone! Thank you for the reviews!

Here is next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko as he starts his own legend as the Blue Spirit and continues to learn that the world is not always as great as it was made out to be.

Hope you enjoy! R&R!

**Chapter 5: Starting Rumours**

**~ Zuko ~**

"Let me go! I will wipe your ass so quickly you won't even be ab-!" A young man growled out in pain as he was punched into his stomach.

"Big words for a little kid like you. Now, give your money! You wouldn't want us to give your little family a visit would you? Your wife _is _pregnant isn't she?" An old and skinny man threatened, hovering over the other.

'Ah another group of scum again?_' _The sixteen-year-old thought in disgust as he peeked over the edge of the roof.

He recognised a blue scarf that each of the men wore around their neck. He had met a couple of them yesterday too. It looked like there was a group of thugs in the neighbourhood that was harassing the town. He had watched the people walk on the street with fear, looking over their shoulder just to make sure that they weren't followed. He had seen that scum walk the streets like they owned them.

He narrowed his eyes in determination. He was going to make sure that this little gang was going down before he was going back to his ship.

But first, he would teach the two members in front of him a lesson.

The younger man – though Zuko estimated him to be quite a bit older than he was - was struggling furiously against another dirty and filthy, but very large and bulky, man that was holding him down on his knees. He had light brown hair that reached just over his shoulders and, with the exception of a few strands of hair at the front, was held back in a short and low ponytail. He was clothed in unsuspicious and commoner's Earth Nation clothes.

Another older ghastly man, though no way as build as the other large man, was holding the younger man's collar to threaten him. His eyes were sunken, his hair nearly all grey and gone.

"If you even dare to g-" The young man threatened right back, once again struggling against the older man who had bound his hands behind his back with a rope by now. The moment when the older man stepped back the nearly bald one kicked the man in the side, causing him to fall down with a pained grunt.

"Then what huh?" The bald one yelled right back, kicking again. The man hissed as he was hit and Zuko hoped that he hadn't broken anything.

Hmmm what was the best way to proceed? Zuko pondered, feeling his hands getting twitchy with the urge to use his swords.

"You better get me the money quick or your little family life will be ruined before it even started." The nearly-balty said, roughly grabbing the collar of the man's shirt again to bring him back up. Realising that there was nothing he could do, the young upcoming father faltered and let himself slump forward in defeat.

It was that defeated position that irked Zuko. Why was the man giving up so easily? Why wasn't he fighting for his family?

"_Never give up without a fight." _

Zuko's eyes narrowed dangerously. He had a lesson to teach.

**~ In the deserted alley~**

He was so screwed. He had heard of this gang. He had been warned for them. If you didn't have any money to give them when you met them, your family would pay. He growled in frustration. If only he could get his hands free, he would make _them_ _pay_.

Still, then what? The man, named Kazou, asked himself. He didn't have any power over the situation. Who know how many lackeys were out there ready to beat him up and harass his future family?

The young father let out a frustrated and lost sigh. They knew where his family lived, there was nothing he could do about it now. If only that big guy holding him was gone and he got his hands free, he would mess up the guys face so bad that he-

No, it wouldn't do any good.

He was a horrible husband and future father.

A sudden flash of blue at the rooftops made the man turn his attention away from the shoddy man in front of him. The sudden shift of attention caused said man to turn around too, sounding extremely annoyed.

"What the fu-"

"Blue Spirit?" The man whispered in shock, having heard stories about the mysterious figure from some travelers a while ago. At the time, he had been shaking his head about the story of a stranger with the Blue Spirit's mask travelling the world to help those in need.

Especially since said figure was said to be a criminal by others. Some believed him to be both, while others had watched in disbelief at the people who believed the stories.

He had been one of the few that had remained sceptical about both stories. Now, it was dumb luck that he of all people crossed path with the guy.

Now the question was, which was it? Did he belong with the two? Was he a criminal or not?

"Who the fuck are you? Go away you freak. Need a mask to hide your face?" The man holding him spat at the figure, suddenly feeling very self-consciousness as the eyes of the mask were boring into him. "What are you deaf Ugly!" The man shouted again, taking a daring step forwards and continued to spout curses at the man like a drunken pirate.

Well, they aren't buddies alright.

"Well that answers it." The young brown-haired man muttered to himself. He wasn't one of them. Kazou couldn't help but wonder whether the little bit of hope that he was feeling would not come back to haunt him later.

Blue Spirit cocked his head to the side. The manner in which he had done it the man swear figure had just rolled his eyes at the cursing man.

Then it suddenly seemed as if the mask was _floating_.

With a show of agility the young man – completely in black except for the mask - moved from the roof to the ground and stood a distance away from the trio. He waved his hand at the two older men, making gestures that were saying them to leave. This only made the two men laugh at the surprisingly shorter-than-they-had-expected figure in front of them.

"Are you _kidding_, _Kiddo?" _He laughed at his own joke. "Go away or I will cut you to pieces myself." The man said, removing his sword from his sheet and pointing it at the figure in front of him in an elegant manner.

Zuko grumbled mentally at how the man was underestimating him, feeling his temper rising.

Yet, with a soft breath, he let it go.

'Is he serious?'Zuko couldn't help but wonder as he watched the man settle in an uncomfortable looking pose.

His stance looked unbalanced and the man's grip on his sword made Zuko nearly winch. Surely that man wasn't a real sword fighter? He huffed, feeling very confident and he didn't draw his own sword. He would be able to fight the man without using them.

The man seemed to notice this attitude towards him and growled, moving forwards to strike the young man. Said young man's eyes widened as he watched the man speed up out of seemingly nowhere. Zuko cursed.

'_What the-!'_

He ducked, he rolled, he jumped – dodged, sidestepped, twisted, moved – as he avoided the deadly images of swords that were flashing around him. That man was _fast_!

'"_Never underestimate your opponent Prince Zuko."'_ He heard his Uncle's advice run in his head.

_Urgh… _Zuko grumbled mentally. Why did he always remember that kind of stuff when it was too late? He wondered.

Now what was that other one?

'"_Keep your emotions under control, Prince Zuko. If you become frustrated you are more prone to make a mistake."' _

His eyes widened as an idea formed in his mind and a smirk appeared on his lips.

'I can work with that'. Zuko decided and turned their little game around as it was his turn to start playing with the man.

In the next minute he kept himself calm and light on his feet while dodging the man's strikes with a bored attitude. This was making the man only more frustrated. There had been a moment that the man's big friend had decided to help but Zuko had noticed in time thanks to the father shouting a warning towards him. Zuko – hearing the "behind you!" had acted in time. He managed to knock Bulky out by manoeuvring Baldy in a way that the hilt of Baldy's sword hit the back of the man's head.

It had been the first time that Zuko had actually touched him.

Surely that would do its work to make the man even more frustrated. He was right. Seeing his friend… companion… lackey? fall on the ground, unconscious, because of his own mistake, seemed to be Baldy's limit.

Now he could have some more fun with him.

The other bound man sitting a distance away from them watched with slight amazement as the young man was twisting himself around the man, never really striking him but instead tiring the man out. He frowned in confusion when he saw the man miss the whole time, as if he couldn't really see the Blue Spirit as well as he should.

Performing a quick backflip, Zuko continued bending the light in the air in front of the man ever so slightly in an act to confuse him. Sure he could blind the man completely in one go, but Zuko didn't want his skill to be out with a witness near him.

Crouching down as the swords passed over his head, Zuko wondered if he would blind the man without making the father figure witness it. Maybe he could – ideas started to form in his head.

Zuko would actually have fun if the fight hadn't been so deadly.

"Keep still stupid-" The sentence was cut of when he swept the man's feet from under him. However the man was quickly back on his feet again and Zuko quickly dodged another wild strike that would have killed him had he not ducked again. This man was ruthless… or either desperate. He had to stop him.

A slight pain in his arm made Zuko hiss and blood flowed down his arm.

It was only a tiny little cut, but cut on his sleeve was larger. He was going to have to sew that together again. He absolutely hated sewing... because he sucked at it. He loathed it.

That was it.

The man may be faster than Zuko had anticipated but his style was very sloppy. Having been hit felt like an _insult_. He had played long enough. He had had his work out. Narrowing his eyes, Zuko focused. After having been 'sparring' with the man for a while, his style had become easy to predict so when there once again was a large swing aimed for his neck, the teenager ducked once again and bended the light just in front of the man's eyes.

"Argh!" The man cried out, suddenly blinded.

Within a few seconds the mans face was planted on the ground, Zuko's foot holding him there and his own sword at his neck. The man laid completely still, scared out of his mind at the sudden shift.

Baldy gulped underneath him, shaking in disbelieve. Who the hell was that kid? Had he been playing with him all along?

"Please please, don't kill me!" He started, trying desperately to move but cried out when a sharp tug on his arm made him stop. The message was clear.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" He continued trying desperately to save his life. "Take whatever you want! Just don't kill me!" He continued, sobbing pitifully under Zuko as he continued to restrain him.

Zuko watched with puzzlement at the sudden switch of behaviour. This was just pathetic.

Well he could use that to his advantage.

"Who and where is your leader? If you lie you are dead, and I will _know_" He whispered and hissed so softly in the man's ear that he nearly hadn't heard him. Zuko had a feeling that this was the work of a gang going around to threaten people.

"S-Sh-Shirou. He li-lives at the large blue m-mansion outside the village, south from h-here." The man trembled, not daring to doubt the intimidating figure hovering above him.

Well… that had been easier than he expected, Zuko thought.

'Now what?'

He hadn't been planning to kill the man, even though Baldy didn't seem to respect human life as much as he did.

Still, the man needed a reminder for a while. He absently noted that the man tried to pry his arms from his grip once again. Sighing silently, Zuko put a little more pressure on the sword at the man's neck to remind him of his situation. Another sob erupted from the man's mouth, but Zuko paid him no mind. It would do him some good to feel so helpless. Hopefully that would help him realise that what he was doing was just plain stupid.

Zuko tried to think of something else to punish him but couldn't find anything that fit. Maybe just scare him a little more so that his nightmares would hound him. He removed his sword from Baldy's head and watched as Baldy watched his movement from the corner of his eyes. He held the sword high as if he was preparing for a powerful stroke and swung the sword down.

_Thump_.

The hilt of the sword hit the man right in the back of his head and he was knocked out in no time. _Well, not fast enough it seems. _Zuko thought as a sudden smell made him frown in disgust. The man had been a little too terrified it seemed and the dark spot on his trousers would show that to everyone.

Good. Hopefully he wouldn't dare to try anything again any time soon. He would leave the rest to the law enforcement in the city.

Just to give the man an extra reminder he cut away the man's money pouch. No way he was going to leave the man with his money that he had probably stolen.

He stood back up and turned towards the other man who was now furiously tugging at the ropes that held his hands behind his back. He froze warily when Zuko took another step into his direction, which amused and hurt Zuko ever so slightly at the same time.

He could understand though. He had, after all, just defeated the man in about five minutes without seeming even serious about it.

Moving over quickly he swirled the sword and quickly charged forwards. Swirling his swords once more in his hands, he neatly cut the ropes in two pieces.

Kazou, who had been unable to do anything but close his eyes in suspense, blinked owlishly as he felt the robes fall down. Rubbing his wrists he stared at the figure hovering above him, silently staring at him as if he was waiting for him to say something.

Alright the Blue Spirit was good. He owed him now.

"I'm alright." Kazou acknowledged and then bowed to the man in gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you." He was not only referring to freeing him, but also to what he hoped the Blue Spirit was about to do.

Something that all the people in their so-called small 'bender-less' village had been too afraid to do for about year now.

Looking at the mask in front of him, he made his decision. He would help too.

"Let me assist you." He said firmly. He had his family and surely many others would be safe from this little gang if they got his help.

Kazou frowned when he saw the short… or young man in front of him shake his head. "I can gather people. It is time we stand up together." Kazou continued, refusing to let it go.

The man seemed to weigh the pro and cons.

"It is our fight, our pride." The young father continued, thinking about how he had nearly let himself _and _his family be manipulated. He wouldn't forgive himself easily if he would not offer his assistance in defeating the gang. Maybe they would listen to him now with this figure at his side.

The masked man in front of him moved his swords over the ground.

"Take the streets. The house is mine." The figure wrote in the sand. Either he had hurt his voice or he didn't want to be recognised in any way.

Kazou frowned but nodded. He could work with that.

"Tomorrow morning, they are knocked out and tied up in the house." Zuko continued his writing, already mentally making plans on how to take care of them down.

"Also… you never met me." That sentence was underlined a few times. The man opened his mouth to protest but quickly closed it, respecting Zuko's unspoken request.

He would keep silent about his presence. He had never been there. This would be their little secret.

"As you wish…" Kazou acknowledged with a nod. "Though it would make a very good rumour - or bedtime story for my still unborn child." He insisted, returning an unspoken request.

A rumour it would become in the village all right. Just shady enough to make the people doubt and hopeful enough to make the people believe.

They could use ever source of hope in times like these.

"You never met me." The Blue Mask once again underlined his sentence.

Kazou smiled and bowed deeply to the man in front of him, closing his eyes to show his gratefulness and his trust into the man.

When he stood and opened his eyes, the Blue Spirit had disappeared and the dirt he had been writing on swiped clean.

Kazou blinked in surprise. "Well at least I finally understand why they called him a ghost in their stories." He mumbled to himself and got up.

He had some people to convince.

**~ Next day ~**

Prince Zuko kept in the shadows of the trees, following the road next to him. Manipulating the 'shadows' of the trees ever so slightly, he was nearly invisible for any passerby. As he kept himself at a steady and fast pace, he continued his journey to the harbour where his ship lay. He would just have to follow the road for the coming afternoon and he would end up at a larger city where the harbour was situated. If he would stick to his current pace, he would be back before his Uncle would get too worried.

Then again, he was probably worried anyway.

Determinded, the Blue Mask strode ahead, ignoring the painful bruises and few cuts that he had received during his one sided fight. Still, they didn't bother him at all. Last night he had been successful in defeating about twenty – even though they had been pretty weak and all non-benders – thugs and been able to put another part of his power to the test.

Some of the thugs may have been pretty good with their swords, but when everything was pitch black… it was a lot more difficult.

Though it made them more unpredictable, it also made them rash. Something that Zuko and his comfort in the shadows could very well use against them.

Humming ever so slightly, the mask of the Blue Spirit continued to float between the trees, content that he had been able to help out the little village that had made him forget his worries and feelings of being a failure for a while.

**~ Kazou~**

Back at the village, Kazou and a large group of friends threw open the doors of the mansion and all stared at the sight in front of them. About twenty thugs tied up in a neat cycle, nearly all still knocked out and all having a painful looking bum on their head.

The only sign that was left behind was a little scratch in the wooden floor in front of them. Kazou crouched over it, tracing the lines with his hands as he let his friends take care of the scum in front of them.

First he began doubting if it was even a message, but then he saw that whatever it was, it had been underlined a couple of times. It had also been done with a sworld. He smirked as he recognised it from the morning the previous day.

It was a pair of kanji, Kazou realised. He recognised the _大 '__hiro' _often linked to 'great' and then the _翔__ '__to' _meaning 'fly' or 'soar'_. _

Kazou smirked, unsure whether it was the name of the young man or merely a short message to him, but he would remember it anyway.

'Hiroto…huh?'

The mysterious figure had given him his name. Kazou couldn't help but feel slightly proud at that. He smirked, traced the kanji one more time and then stood.

'May the Blue Spirit soar to do great things.'

He was _so_ going to spread the rumour later tonight. Chuckling slightly, he turned his attention to the thugs in front of him. Those who were conscious were watching him warily. Stepping forward looked the most pathetic looking in the eye "Where is your leader?" he demanded.

They refused to speak and some even looked ashamed.

A sword flashed in front of one of conscious thugs. It was a little too close near his neck for comfort.

The man gulped and managed to nod his head into the corner of the room. Turning around, Kazou started laughing.

So that is where all their weapons had gone.

The leader – the bulky and large man that we was – glared furiously at him struggling at his bindings as his silhouette was surrounded by nearly all kinds of swords. Two swords stood out in particular, having been crossed before pushed into the wall behind the leader, making him unable to move his head. After all, having two very sharp swords surrounding your neck might be slightly uncomfortable.

Just as the one that came a little too close to a man's precious possession.

Kazou's friends laughed loudly, and Kazou himself stepped forwards.

"Well you little scumbag. I'm sure you won't be planning to _cross swords_ with him anytime soon huh?" The men around him laughed even louder with him, even though they didn't have a clue about whom Kazou was talking.

They were finally free and if felt absolutely amazing.

**~ Hours later ~**

Hiding in an alley and making sure that the coast was clear, he quickly took of his recently bought mask and put it in his bag. No more Blue Spirit… He was Prince Zuko now. His responsibilities weighed back on his shoulders. Taking out his clothes and wearing it over his black outfit, he made his way to the harbour.

His uncle would probably get worried if he wouldn't return soon.

By now all the supplies must have been restocked, so this afternoon they should be able to set course to… Prince Zuko paused. Where to?

He felt his fury return and his good mood evaporated as fast as water drops in a desert.

He had to find the Avatar.

A warm greeting of his uncle brought him out of his reverie. "Nephew there you are! I was beginning to get worried. How about some tea, I have managed to get a whole new supply! Have you seen anything interesting on your little trip?"

"Nothing on the Avatar." He kept his answers short. He didn't want to lie to his Uncle.

"Well, there must have been something that –" He cut the old man off again, feeling horrible as he did so. "Yes Uncle, I will share stories later, but now we have to go. Set course to…" He paused again and turned away from the older man.

'_South' _He suddenly thought. '_South.'_ He was tired and felt his surroundings starting to swirl slightly as the sudden inspiration came. Then before he could get worried or even comment on the strange feeling it was gone.

But the urge lingered.

Normally he would rebel against such feelings by doing exactly the opposite, but that need was gone too. The little push he had felt, felt familiar. It had felt calming. He was fine with that.

"Prince Zuko?" His uncle prodded him gently, bringing him out of his reverie.

"Head for the southern waters. I will specify the directions tomorrow." Zuko just said, moving towards his room, suddenly feeling very tired.

If Uncle thought anything about the sudden strange direction, he didn't comment on it but instead nodded. "I will let Luitenant Jee know Prince Zuko"

Absently, Zuko nodded his thanks and went to his room, feeling the need to meditate for a little while. He didn't notice his Uncle watching him leave with a frown.

He shook his head and his eyes saddened.

"What are you afraid to tell me Nephew?"

**~ End of Chapter ~**

Hmm I'm wondering whether I should let Iroh find out about Zuko's skills or to let Zuko keep it a secret a little longer.

Anyway, the next part will probably skip to the well-known plot. It will be fast-paced and probably showing the things that really changed. If anyone has any other Blue-Spirit actions ideas that you would like to see, please let me know. I can't promise anything to be included in the story, but inspiration is always nice.

Please review and let me know what you think!

Till next time!


	6. Melting the Ice

**Summary**: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: Doesn't have one. Please let me know if I have made any really big mistakes. Thanks. If you are interested in helping out, please PM me.

Hello everyone! Thank you all so much for your great reviews! I'm so happy that you enjoy the story so far!

Here is next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko faces his uncle and - finally after all those years - the avatar.

Hope you enjoy! R&R!

**Chapter 6: Melting the Ice**

I've been searching

I've been living

For tomorrows all my life

~Into the Shadows, the Rasmus~

**~ About a week later ~**

Zuko sighed.

His uncle was getting worried about him. Zuko had noticed this by the glances that he had been sending him and the few subtle inquiries of how he was feeling. Zuko felt slightly guilty with the fact that he had bluntly snapped at the older man when he did this.

However, besides the little and short mood swings – which Iroh was pretty much resistant to by this point - the teenager-by-age had been very silent the last couple of days. Even the crew had noticed with the sudden and surprising change in the Prince's attitude. For the members to walk past the Prince without practically unable not to imagine a dark moody cloud hovering over the Prince's head was rare.

For that to happen for a whole week was a miracle.

Unsurprisingly, this had lead to whole discussions about the possible reason for this down in the cabins. One reason was even more ridiculous than the other. Luckily for the crew Zuko wasn't listening to their conversations in his current mood.

Zuko didn't really know why he was feeling this way, but ever he had given in to the urge to head to the Southern waters, he had been feeling incredibly restless. It was as if he knew that he was going to do something important.

A little bit of hope blossomed in his stomach.

Would he finally find the Avatar?

The young man frowned at how calm he was. Normally he would have been running around like a spoiled and hot-headed brat – he hated to admit it but he had an image to uphold – and not this uncomfortable restlessness.

Why?

Even more important, would he be able to remain in control of himself if he really did find a lead to the avatar?

He wasn't sure anymore.

Zuko stared into the light that the three little flames produced. He couldn't help but feel fascinated how such a small light could spread out its energy without any difficulty, reaching even the walls.

Sitting in the lotus position, Zuko rested his elbows on his knees as he folded his hands together. He allowed himself to slump forward ever so slightly while he breathed deeply in and out, willing the fire to breath with him.

His eyes lazily looked down at his hands as he continued the little exercise, more focused on the energy he felt around him than what he was doing with the fire alone. One of his hand was resting on the other, both hand palms raised up to the sky. This position felt so familiar, even after all those years.

He held his hands like that often, he absently realised. He moved his hands ever so slightly and raised his arms in front of him so that the familiar blob created on ground in front of him.

"_Bird!"_

His lips formed a lop-sided smile as he thought back to his sudden inspiration to carve that name in the wooden floor. There had been a certain inspiration behind it. His mind went back to his mother and that beautiful day they had spent in the garden.

_"But you will grow and in a few years it will have two pair of large and strong wings." His mother told him, smiling._

_"Really?" He asked, comparing his small chubby hands with his mothers, feeling doubtful. _

_"Yes, ready to fly away as far as he wants, as high as he wants." She confirmed and she folded her hand his._

He moved his bird puppet ever so slightly and then withdrew his hands, but continued staring at the shadow that was still there. It was a little trick that he used to practise his control. It had taken quite a long time for him to be able to create shapes like that. He stared at the shadow and it slowly started to turn into a more realistic bird.

Hiroto… using the kanji for large and fly. _Large_ wings he could _fly _with… as far as he wanted, as high as he wanted.

It wasn't his name, but he hoped that it would be a name he could live up to in the future like his mother had wanted him to. He folded his hands back to his previous position and continued to stare at the shadow that had yet to disappear on the ground, willing the light surrounding it not to infiltrate the space.

He was vaguely aware of the knocking and his name being called. He didn't feel alerted though, it was just Uncle. He was trustworthy. He was his guide. He was… no he was not his father.

Yet Zuko sometimes wished he was. He didn't look up but instead kept concentrating on the little shape on the floor, suddenly feeling as if he would lose something if he were to let it fade out.

He liked to think of the happy times he had with his mother. He wished he could go back to it.

"Prince Zuko?" There was certain tone in his uncle's voice that Zuko couldn't indentify and he suddenly snapped out of… whatever he had been in. He took a deep breath of air and looked with sad eyes as the shadow bird disappeared.

"Uncle." He answered, still staring at the currently lit floor.

There was the sound of movement. Footsteps coming closer and the sound of his Uncle's tea set clinking ever so slightly. As the smell of tea swept into the room it confirmed his suspicion.

"You brought tea." He said looking up. _You want to talk. _

He didn't feel like talking at all. He just wanted to sit quietly for a moment, remembering his mother. His hands automatically found their position again and another bird appeared once again on the ground, even though this one was simply created by his hands.

The man paused in the doorway, most likely observing his mood, Zuko noted. He felt slightly amused about it, knowing fully well after a couple of outings how much of a jerk he could be when he lost control of his emotions.

Which was quite a lot unfortunately – at least without his mask on.

Deeming it safe to enter the room and talk to the young man, Iroh took a couple of steps forward.

"Yes Prince Zuko, I thought that you could use so-" The man tripped over something – the bag that Zuko had just dropped as he had walked into the room – and nearly fell forwards.

He would have if it weren't for Zuko catching his weight and bringing his tea to safety with such quick and light movements that for a second Iroh thought back to that practice session. They didn't move for a moment, making sure that everything was safe before they took a step away from each other.

"My… I must be getting old." His uncle muttered as he glanced at the straps of the bag that he had tripped over. The shadows had made it difficult to spot on the floor.

"I'm sorry Uncle." Zuko muttered as he moved to put the bag somewhere more convenient. He hadn't expected his uncle to come an visit him and hadn't thought about it when he had dropped the thing.

He made sure not to let the mask and swords make too much sound as he moved it to his bed.

"Don't worry about it Nephew, no one got hurt. I must say that your reflexes are faster than I expected! That was really goo-" The end of the sentence was forgotten as Iroh looked at the floor, but more specifically a certain shadow on the floor that shouldn't be there.

His eyes widened in surprise and once again the tea set he had in his hands would have dropped on the floor had Zuko not caught it. "Uncle what are you-" He caught it just in time and let out a sigh of relief. Following his Uncle's gaze he flinched slightly.

Zuko eyes widened in shock. Had he actually slipped up? The bird that he had been forming with his hands was still there.

He tried to compose himself as good as possible and look surprised at the bird himself… which was not that difficult seeing as he had never expected that he could form shadows that took such a control from such a distance.

He let his senses spread wide and his theory was confirmed as he felt a lack of light where the shadow was formed. He pushed a bit of his inner fire out into the air to push the light once again where it belonged.

The bird disappeared.

"What was that?" He tried to throw his uncle of guard.

Unfortunately, it seemed that his uncle didn't really believe him.

"Prince Zuko… is this your doing?" His uncle turned to him, having watched the shadow bird suddenly disappear.

'Oh boy, how am I going to get out of this… '? '_Tell your uncle'. _'No.'

'_Tell your uncle'. _The thought once again repeated itself. Its presence didn't surprise Zuko any more. It was his other voice after all, always causing inner conflict with himself… or so he hoped it was.

"No" He muttered to himself, absently realising that he had just lied to his uncle this way. Even though he hadn't intended to do it, he had difficulty taking back his word and explaining everything to the man.

'_Tell him.'_

'But what to tell him?'

He felt nervous. Yet, he was not afraid.

Why wasn't he afraid? Zuko wondered for a moment, but he knew the answer soon enough. He had felt the need to confine his secret into someone for a long time now. He needed someone to watch his back. He wanted to be honest to someone he could trust.

He knew only one person that would fit that description.

His uncle was also the only exception to the promise that his mother had made him do. He was going to keep it even if he would tell his uncle. She allowed this. He didn't need to be afraid of his mother's disappointment.

But he didn't want to share all his secrets either…

There was a moment of silence, before Uncle settled himself down on the ground, moving the candles ever so slightly so they stood in between them. He calmly, as if he hadn't seen anything, filled a cup with tea and handed it to his nephew. Filling another cup for himself, he shifted his attention back to the young man still standing in front of him.

Somehow, when the young man wasn't being angry and frustrated, the teenager seemed even more lost than normal.

"Nephew."

The teenager – no the young man with the amount of life experiences he had – snapped out his reverie.

"Uncle." Zuko acknowledged meeting his uncle's eyes with a slightly tired expression.

"Take a seat."

Zuko seemed slightly reluctant but eventually settled himself on the ground in front of the man at the other sides of the candles. They sat in silence for a while. It had been a long time since a silence between them had been so uncomfortable.

He expertly accepted the teacup from the older man and gently took a sip. He startled slightly as it still was too hot to drink comfortably and kept it in his hands. His uncle always had the habit to heat a cup of tea before handing it to his company, but he rarely made it too hot to drink.

His eyes sharpened slightly as he took in the little details that he saw in front of him. The light frown in his uncle's eyes indicated that he was thinking very deeply and the unfocused eyes supported this idea. He was also heating his own teacup but didn't seem to notice that he was nearly making the tea cook again.

This time it was Zuko who got him back to reality. "Uncle."

The focus in the old man's eyes returned and immediately snapped to the hot tea in his hands. "Ah thank you Nephew. I got lost in thought for a moment myself." The old man thanked his nephew and frowned at the tea in his hands, knowing that he could not drink it for a while.

If his uncle hadn't been watching him so closely he might have cooled the tea down, but he still wasn't sure whether he wanted his uncle to find out.

'_Tell you uncle, you fool. Do not hide behind your fears. He will accept you for who you are'_

Zuko steeled himself as he made his decision.

With a sigh Iroh moved to set the hot cup down, but was stopped when his nephew held out his hand.

His eyes took in the young man's expression. He looked determined. An expression he often only saw when the Prince spoke of his quest. Iroh didn't question the young man in front of him and instead carefully handed over the tea.

Holding the tea between his hands, Zuko held it just front of his lips. Iroh was about to protest when his nephew stopped him. "I will not drink it… just… please just wait."

There was a tone of apprehensiveness in his nephew's voice that puzzled the older man but he remained silent. Instead he watched as his nephew closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths in the position he was in.

At first, Iroh couldn't figure out what the teen was doing until the steam coming from the cup became more visible and disappeared. The air that his nephew blew actually seemed _cold_.

Then he lowered the cup and blew out of his nose, forming a cloud of hot steam. He opened his eyes and saw the dumbfounded expression of his uncle. He gave him a slightly nervous looking smile and held out his hand so he could take the cup back.

Though Iroh had suspected it, he was still taken back when he touched the cup.

It was just _warm. _It was the perfect temperature to drink his tea.

"How…" He couldn't finish his sentence. He had never expected his nephew to be able to do that… for any firebender to do that.

Zuko flinched ever so slightly and cooled his own tea, though much quicker and less noticeable than he had done before.

The child had been hiding this all this time? Iroh didn't know what to think at that moment. He felt slightly hurt to know that his nephew had been hiding things from him.

"You never told me that you-" The old man started.

"It was my secret." Zuko interrupted his most trusted family member, afraid for what the man was going to say. He tried to compose himself by taking a sip of his tea, but it was still too hot. Frowning, he experimented by trying to breath the heat away from the cup into his lungs again.

Uncle was studying him with curious but focused eyes.

He lowered his cup and breathed out, another tiny cloud of steam appeared before it disappeared. Zuko tried to take another sip and noted that it was much better.

"How-" Iroh stared at the young man in front of him, suddenly seeing him in a totally different light.

"I know that this might not be the purest and truest form of firebending Uncle, but you have to understand that-" Zuko suddenly started to explain, suddenly feeling so much younger again. There was a tone of panic in his voice, afraid of dissapointment and suddenly Iroh understood.

He put a comforting hand on the teenager's shoulder and for once Zuko didn't shrug it off.

Zuko continued babbling nervously. He knew it would be shameful for the Prince to not be a true Firebender. He didn't want his uncle to look at him with any different eyes. He didn't want his uncle to-

He was caught of guard when his cup suddenly was taken out of his hands and he was pulled into a hug. The candles between them had gone out so their clothes didn't catch fire.

"I do not care about such foolish things Nephew. I only wish that you would have known that you could tell me anything."

His voice was getting more shaky when he spoke, but Zuko refused to let tears fall. "Mother said… It was our secret. Only you- but I…" Speaking was getting more difficult. It was such a relief to know that he could share this secret.

He would not share all of his abilities with his uncle, Zuko decided. But he would at least be able to get a lot of his chest_. _Even his second voice didn't object to this decision, actually approving it. So with much difficulty he pulled away from his uncle and started to tell him about one of his happiest memory with his mother and how it lead to another part of fire bending.

At the end of his explanation, Iroh watched him carefully. He started to understand why the teenager had kept this a secret. Most – if not nearly every firebender – would have looked down on this gift.

"I'm glad you confined in me Nephew. I will take this secret with me to my grave if you want me too. You will have to be careful though… many people will frown down upon this extraordinary gift. It might" He paused. "It might be better to keep this quiet from now on."

"I know Uncle. Like I have always done before." Zuko agreed.

After all it had been one of the reasons why he had created his second identity.

"So tell me a bit more about what you can do"

Zuko smiled at his uncle, quickly deciding what he would leave out for the time being. Unaware to the teenager, Iroh watched him knowingly behind his amused smile. He was not born yesterday. He knew that Zuko was still keeping things from him, but decided that the teenager needed a couple of secrets.

If Zuko wanted him to know… he would tell him. And if Iroh accidently stumbled on them again, he would keep silent about it. After all, Zuko had his own path too follow and Iroh was actually happy that it didn't only consist of obsessively following the Avatar like he had feared Zuko to do.

**~ A few days later ~ **

'What was that?'

Zuko's head shot up from where he was standing on the deck. His eyes widened in shock as he took in the large pillar of light that short through the sky.

'_The avatar.'_

He just _knew _it was the Avatar. "Finally…" He whispered to himself.

"Uncle! Do you know what this means?

"I won't get to finish my game?"

"It means that my search is about to come to an end." He ignored the sigh that came from his uncle.

"That light came form an incredible powerful source… it _has _to be _him!" _

He heard his uncle try to calm him down, but something inside him snapped. "I don't need any tea uncle!"

The avatar was there and if he were to find him, he would be able to go home.

Home.

**~ A few hours later ~ **

As Zuko walked down the metal plate, he twitched as his eyes took in the frightened people in front of him. Most of the children scared away as they looked at him, or more specifically at his scar. He felt his mood go down from there, but forced himself to remain calm.

Losing his temper wouldn't do him any good. His experience as the Blue Spirit had taught him that many times.

Ignoring the ruckus of the distressed village in front of him, he calmly glanced around one time and twitched as he saw that they had seemingly destroyed a part of the wall… or had it been part of a tower? Sure they wouldn't have been able to enter as easily but surely they could have been more careful.

He would have to talk with the captain about that when he got back.

His eye glanced back at the people in front of him. He straightened himself as he felt the suspicion in their eyes. A yell caught his attention and he saw a male teenager run towards him with intent to hurt him. He tensed himself, but relaxed slightly when he the boy threw a sloppy punch at him. He repressed his instincts to hurt the boy in front of him and instead took a grip of his arm – making sure that the sharp boomerang was out of reach - when he got close enough.

"I do not wish to fight." He calmly stated as he used the boy's own momentum again him and he flung him to the side where he knew he would safely land in the snow. He glanced around, looking any more fighters but noted that there were none.

Good.

The small crowd in front of him took a couple of steps back in fear and he repressed a frustrated growl.

Why did they always have to act like he was going to kill them at any second? He knew that the Fire Nation had a bad reputation, but he really wasn't going to burn down their whole village. He sighed mentally at himself and forced himself not to give into the urge to rub his temples.

Instead he walked down and kept a respectful distance from the group.

"I am looking for the Avatar. We mean no harm. " He stated. 'Be polite Zuko… be polite.'

"Have you seen him?"

Only silence met him and he gritted his teeth in frustration, his temper flaring.

"He would be about her age." He pointed at the old woman in the group and desperately tried to ignore the way they fearfully flinched away from him. Instead he gently tugged the woman in front of the group. "Master of all elements?"

He still got no reply.

'I know he is here somewhere! Urgh!' He breathed out small puff of smoke in frustration, but it only seemed to frighten the crowd more. "Answer me." He barely managed to supress his growl.

"We don't know where the Avatar is." The old woman stated. She actually seemed surprised by the amount of control he had of himself. Her experiences with the Fire Nation had always been far more violent. Seeing as he still had not bended any fire near them, she dared to speak up.

Having looked at her the moment she started speaking, Zuko knew she was lying.

"You are lying." He growled at her, trying to ignore the fact that a layer of snow was melting beneath his feet.

The woman remained silent and stared at him. "I need to speak with him." Zuko told her.

She actually seemed suprised at that statement. "He left." She stated not giving any directions. She was still distrustful.

Much too Zuko's annoyance, he actually approved of her attitude. _'Don't just trust anybody without reason.' _

He was about to say something else when he saw the womans' eyes glance over his shoulder. Hearing familiar sounds getting louder behind him, he quickly pushed the woman back to the girl at which she had previous stood.

He received a glare from the girl but ignored it as he prepared himself for another attack. Glancing over his shoulder and estimating the angle at which the boomerang-boy would attack, he crouched down just in time for him to lunge right over his shoulder and into the snow.

The falling boy caught himself in a roll to attack him once again, with his boomerang this time. The prince leaned back as the weapon got too close to his neck for his liking. He didn't really know whether the boy in front of him knew that he had nearly badly wounded him – as he was clearly an amateur with no real experience – but he felt his temper snap.

He had tried to be freaking polite, but this was not working.

Zuko wanted the avatar, now! No playing around anymore.

He glared at the boy in front of him as he charged at him. He broke the spear with ease, poked the boy with it and pushed the boy back on the ground. He was pathetic.

Who the hell had taught him how to fight?

_Clang. _He was caught of guard as the boomerang hit his helmet from behind.

'I have had it.' His eye twitched.

"I have made no move to harm anyone and you try to kill me." He growled at the boy, his hand burning. He wanted to punch the boy so bad.

The fearful look of the boy made him flinch back and he reabsorbed the fire in his hands with his inner fire. He would not go down that road.

"This is the last warning, where is the ava-"

Zuko wasn't able to say anything else because he was suddenly swept of his feet. He would have fallen back down like a fool had it not been for his agility –trained by all his time acting like the Blue Spirit – catching up to him. He slipped ever so slightly because of the snow, but was able to catch himself in a crouch.

He held up his hand as he saw his guards take a threatening step forward.

The people cheered at the new stranger. The clothes that he wore seemed familiar… but the figure in front of him was just a child.

He watched in surprise as the child indeed started air bending. 'No way' Zuko thought as he absently melted the snow that caught on his uniform.

"Looking for me?"

'He is a child! A freaking child!' He screamed to himself. His mind finally caught up to him again and he straightened himself.

"You are the airbender?" He asked, studying the kid.

"Are you the Avatar?"

He had been preparing to fight the avatar, but certainly not a child.

What the hell was he going to do?

**~ End Chapter ~**

Another chapter! Whoo it is late but I wanted to finish this!

Have you noticed how nice Zuko actually acts in contrast to all those other firenation soldiers in episode 2? The only time that he firebends is actually to scare the crowd to give him answers. Not to mention that he is quite gentle while pushing Katara's grandmother away from him.

Anyway that was just something I noticed while re-watching it.

At least that is my opinion… with the BlueSpirit-experience he has gained over the last years, I hope that this isn't too OOC for him. Do you agree?

Please review!


	7. Escaping Capture

**Summary**: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: Doesn't have one. Please let me know if I have made any really big mistakes. Thanks. If you are interested in helping out, please PM me.

Hello everyone! You are lucky, I got bored and started writing… a whole chapter in one go. It is even longer! That never happened before lol.

Thank you all so much for your great reviews! I'm so happy that you enjoy the story so far! Anyway, I got a question about how far I will follow the canon. In the beginning I will skip to different well known scenes and show the way Zuko is changing until he makes a certain decision that will make sure the Canon – at least Zuko's one – is disrupted. I will keep it my little secret for now, but I will not to make it too far in the future.

Enough babbling! Here is next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko faces the Avatar and Zhao and is confronted with a thought that will be a turning point in the future.

Hope you enjoy! R&R!

**Chapter 7: Escaping Capture**

I've been searching

I've been living

For tomorrows all my life

~Into the Shadows, the Rasmus~

**~ Southern Water Tribe ~**

Zuko stared at the _child _in front of him. Of all the things he had been expecting. From a powerful ancient man to a younger looking but just as powerful one, this had _not _been it. As a child he had been taught that the Avatar would do everything to stop the Fire Nation from accomplishing their mission of uniting all the nations and creating peace.

That he was a bitter old man that could not be swayed and would kill every Firebender in his sight. Even though Zuko had figured out that those stories were exaggerating, he had believed the notion that the Fire Nation would have to defeat the Avatar since he could not be an ally.

However… looking at the child in front of him, the wheels Zuko's mind suddenly started spinning. That child in front of him was what? Ten? Eleven? Twelve?

Surely the kid in front of him could still be shown that they followed the righteous path. If he were to stand by them, it would go so much easier. Less violence, fewer battles, no more bloodsheds.

Of course, there was only a part of Zuko's brain that was thinking this over and mostly ignored by the conscious part of his brain. Said conscious part was itching to just attack the kid, knock him out and take him with him.

But still…

"You _are _the Avatar?" He questioned the kid, trying to keep his incredibility out of the sentence but not really managing to do so.

"Yeah."

He saw his men take a few steps towards the kid who guardedly backed away from them, his staff ready to protect the people behind him, as if they would attack them at any second. Zuko mentally screamed at himself. Why did they always keep doing that? He was not freaking planning to hurt anyone!

Zuko held up his hand to stop them and glared at the 'Avatar' before him.

"You are just a _child_."

The boy actually seemed surprised by that statement. "Yeah well, you are just a teenager."

Zuko's eye twitched in annoyance. He couldn't see himself as a young teenager. He had been forced to grow up too fast. Ever since he had gotten the title of Crown Prince, the responsibilities that had weighed down on him – which he had tried to carry as honourably as he could – didn't allow him to be a _mere _teenager. Especially after the burni- _accident_ he had grown up too fast.

Still the Avatar had a point. He was, after all, physically a teenager. He desperately kept himself from lashing out at the kid. His temper was flaring and the child was getting on his nerves. Breathing out a little bit of fire to calm his inner flame, he studied the small boy in front of him. The arrow confirmed that he was indeed the Avatar… or should be.

Could it be that the kid was one of the few survivors that had been hiding somehow? No that would be impossible. The Fire Nation had been very careful to wipe out everyone – which had disgusted Zuko when he looked at the remains that had been left behind in all those temples that he had visited.

So disgusted that he _nearly _felt slightly ashamed to be Fire Nation himself, but he quickly squashed that feeling.

He was not a traitor. No he wasn't and it was his duty to bring the Avatar to his father.

Upon the sight of him breathing out some fire, the boy had settled himself in a fighting stance. Once more annoyed with the fact that the boy automatically assumed that breathing out a little bit of fire was an invitation for fighting, he grudgily settled into one himself. He would not keep his guard open in front of the Avatar of all people… however… harmless he might look.

"I want you to come with me." He spoke up.

"Why?"

He actually paused. Did he want to talk to the child? Did he want to show him the Will of Fire? Would it be easier than just capturing him?

"I want to talk with you and I want you to talk with my father." He eventually answered. His father surely would see that the child in front of him could be an ally right?

'_Of course he won't'_

'He will.'

His other voice sighed at him, but he ignored it.

"Aang don't! He wants to capture you!" A female voice shouted at them.

The young boy turned towards a girl into the crowd. She had the appearance of a typical water tribe girl with her dark skin and blue eyes. The warm blue clothes that kept them warm in the cold. She whore her hair back and had a loopy at each side on her face each held together by a blue bead.

"He wants to talk!" He shouted back.

"Don't believe him! He's Fire Nation!" The Water Tribe 'warrior' shouted to the so-called 'Aang' and Zuko's temper flared dangerously.

Being from the Fire Nation did _not_ make him a liar! His hands caught fire as he lost control of his anger. This was his ticket to be able to go home! He would not let some _peasant _Watar Tribe girl ruin that!

Unfortunately for him, the Avatar saw his actions as confirmation and swirled his staff to defend himself with a gust of wind. Before Zuko realised what was happening they were fighting. Well to Zuko it was more like sparring but as he actually liked to see what the Avatar was able to do he didn't stop.

"I do not wish to fight you." He stated halfway through their 'spar' but the kid seemed too busy evading his flames to pay attention to him.

He was very disappointed when the Avatar could barely fight back against one of his fire blasts. A few frightened screams got him out of his thought and he automatically cancelled his fire. He didn't want to hurt anyone.

"I don't want to hurt anyone. Come with me." He let the word slip through his mouth, realising only after he had said it how much it sounded like a threat.

Still it did the trick. The Avatar paused and straightened.

"If I come with you, will you promise to leave everyone alone?"

Zuko relaxed his posture, feeling relieved that he was coming with him. He nodded at the young boy and gestured two of his guard to guide the child back to the ship as he turned around. He kept his ears open for any sounds of struggle, but was relieved when he didn't hear any. At least not those that came from the Avatar.

"No Aang don't do this!" The Water Tribe girl yelled after the boy.

"Don't worry Katara. It will be ok."

"Take care of Appa for me until I get back." Zuko's eyes narrowed at that sentence but ignored it in favor of shouting out a sentence to his men that he had wanted to say for a long – _long – time. _

"Head course to the Fire Nation. I'm going home."

Home.

A weight was lifted of his shoulder as he said that. Standing on the deck, he took the boy's staff from the soldier in front of him. He could see that it was a valuable object to the boy with the way he kept checking on it. His thoughts flashed back a young boy that he had reunited with his teddy bear once. It had been the last thing he had from his family.

He also remembered his own dagger. He didn't want to take away something precious from the kid.

However it was still a weapon. He would make sure to return it to him later… eventually. He glared at the boy in front of him, unsure of what action to take.

"Take him to the prison hold for now, make sure to keep an eye on him at all times."

The two guards turned around to walk away, but he stopped one of them for a moment as the other kept walking with the Avatar. "When you are done make sure to prepare the third guest room near the prison hold and move him there. I do not want you to hurt him understood? Make sure to lock it for the time being and stand guard when you are ready. I will be there in half an hour."

The soldier bowed at him and hurried after his partner.

Zuko watched them leave with a sense of foreboding. Were two guards enough? They were one of his best…He let out a frustrated sigh and turned around. Why was he feeling still so conflicted when he had finally got the Avatar and he could go home?

He struggled of the feeling and entered the tower on his ship.

He held out the staff for his uncle to see. "I will put this in my quarters." He said, his mind wandering back to all those times that he had seen people with their treasured objects. He thought back to his own dagger. He frowned and looked down at the staff. Should he have said something about giving it back?

Ah well, he would tell the young Avatar when he would visit him. There wasn't much that could go wrong in a half hour right?

**~ Not so much time later ~**

Hell no!

He lunged after the boy.

The Avatar could not escape! He had to get home! "Stop running away!" He growled at the boy.

"You were going to hold me prisoner!" The boy yelled at him, actually sounding scarred.

"I was not! It is simply a procedure!" He yelled at the boy, making sure that the door was locked he tried to keep the young boy away from the staff but it was quite difficult when the kid was spinning around him like he did. It nearly made him dizzy.

If only he would just stop!

Unfortunately the boy wasn't listening to him.

"You took away my staff!" The boy kept yelling at him and continued spinning around on this ball of air around the room.

"I was going to give it ba-" The air in his lungs left him as he was suddenly propelled into the wall by a gust of wind.

The Avatar had managed to slip past him and get his staff.

Shit.

Feeling the mat under him move, Zuko managed to roll of his bed and land on his feet just in time to prevent him from hurting his head. Unfortunately for him, the boy had already opened the door and fled.

A whole day of having his control over his emotions being pressured, Zuko finally lost it and saw red.

He was _not_ going to lose his ticket home!

Growling angrily he chased after the Avatar.

Which was how he found himself fighting the boy on the deck. He slowly closed in on the boy so he would be able to restrain him to stop this useless fighting. Unfortunately for him the boy kept backing away, even going as far as standing on the railing of the deck. That boy really didn't know how to be aware of one's surroundings yet.

It was only through this way that he saw the eyes of the boy widen in fright as he leaned too far back over the railing. Zuko's eyes widened and he lunged forward.

These waters were _freezing_. No one would survive in it for long.

Running towards the boy, he lunged over the railing himself as the boy fell backward and he was just in time to turn around and lock his legs on the railing. He gritted his teeth in pain and managed to grab the boy's collar with two hands _just _in time. He heard the boy gasp in fright before they both stilled, Zuko shaking ever so slightly as his muscles protested.

"Stop this foolish behaviour Avatar!" He growled at him.

In the background he heard a familiar female voice yell out to the avatar. He glanced towards the sky and his eyes widened in surprise at the… beast that was _flying _in the air.

"Aang!"

Said boy started struggling in his hold.

"Avatar!" Zuko growled at him. "Stop this _now_! Avatar!" That damn boy wasn't listening to him!

He glanced back to deck, wondering why nobody was helping him. "Avatar, stop struggling! We can't fall into the water!"

It could kill them if they wouldn't get help fast enough. He didn't think his fire was strong enough to keep them both warm enough.

"**My name is Aang!" **

Huh what? The firebender glanced down at the Avatar and his eyes widened with shock as the Avatar's eyes started glowing and the wind around him became even stronger. He saw the water under them starting to rise against the ship, making it sway dangerously to the side.

Holy shit!

"Stop it!" Zuko growled at him, feeling himself starting to slip and, though it was surely going to bruise, clamped himself even harder around the railing.

He tried to hold the collar with one hand to pull himself up, but it wasn't working.

"Fools! Get a hold of me already!" He ordered loudly and finally head some hurried movement as said 'fools' quickly followed his order.

Feeling a couple of hands grab his legs, Zuko allowed himself to relax ever so slightly. That was until he suddenly felt something pull the boy he was holding. He let out a surprised yell as suddenly he too was pulled along with the Avatar who was now submerged by a tube of water.

His soldiers lost hold of him and he was pulled into the tube, only to end up completely disorientated. He kept his firm grip on the Avatar, knowing that if he were to let go, it wouldn't be pretty.

But damn the water was cold!

They both shot up and –luckily - landed on the deck. Zuko winched, as he was unable to catch himself to land without hurting himself. Backing away from the avatar - he was _dangerous – _he readied himself to fight.

He quickly warmed himself the best he could.

He narrowed his eyes at the water that was swirling around the boy. He crouched down low when a sudden wave of water threw him back, knowing better than to stand at such height near a railing - he had learned that the hard way. His back hit the side of the railing but he didn't fall off, so he counted himself lucky.

Groaning, he staggered back to his feet, watching in sight awe as the beast he had spotted in the air moments ago landed on his deck. Two water tribe teenagers climbed down and ran towards the fallen figure of the avatar.

"No!" He couldn't let them get away. His eye caught a familiar wooden object not far from him. Yes he could use that! He crouched down to pick the thing up, but was suddenly tackled to the side. That pathetic warrior boy from earlier had caught him of guard. Still, Zuko was very good at improvising.

He rolled back on his feet, taking the boy with him even as he stood up. Eventually he ended up behind the boy, holding the staff before the teenagers throat, ready to cut of his air supply. Not that he would start chocking the teen but he needed to restrain that annoying peasant.

"Stop getting in my way!" He growled at the boy, steam coming out of his nose as he breathed out.

He pushed the teenager way and was about to knock the boy out when suddenly the floor beneath them was frozen.

"Katara!" The teenager in front of him complained and quickly started hitting the ice with his boomerang. Zuko glowled out in frustration and looked behind him to find the source. That annoying Water Tribe girl was a waterbender! His eyes narrowed as three of his men were frozen.

In the mean time the ice on his feet had nearly melted and he could already move one foot. Unfortunately he had underestimated this 'Sokka's' skills at destroying the ice under his feet and suddenly lost grip of the staff that he had in his hands.

He let out an angry yell as he saw the Avatar and his friends take off with that… huge flying bison beast.

"Zuko?" So Uncle decided to finally grace them with his presence?

Argh he could just-!

"We have to stop them!" He yelled at the man. He would be angry with the retired General later. His eyes quickly took in the scene before him and the possible reactions they would get. His eyes took note of the large ice mountain on the right.

"Aim to the left!"

Zuko and Iroh went through the proper kata and launched a fireball.

The prince's eyes widened as he saw the Avatar swing his staff to blow he fireball away. He could see where this was going. The figure of the Avatar jumped up and swung the fireball away from them. It a small ice mountain on the left – luckily the Avatar hadn't thrown it to the right.

However, he saw the snow on the left ice mountain started to move.

"Again!" He called out and went through the movements once more. He needed more energy! He could not let it destroy him ship. So thinking quickly he tried to channel as much heat from the air around him – there wasn't much in this cold climate - into his fire to counteract the small falling iceberg.

The even larger fireball met the snow and a lot of steam and water formed. Their way was blocked, but the ship was not damaged too badly.

Zuko glared at the flying bison as the children laughed at him as they flew away. He gritted his teeth and turned around angrily. Being polite didn't work with the kid. Those peasants had already hypnotised him.

Fine. He would just have to capture him instead – this time with force if necessary.

"Clear the way and follow them!" He ordered his crew. Seeing that three of his soldiers were still frozen he stopped himself from unfreezing them himself. Their friends were already helping out and he needed to keep his image as the Prince.

A Prince wasn't supposed to do that kind of nice stuff…

He would make sure others did that for him.

"You three make sure they get warm after you get them out and then help out the others." He ordered and they bowed as they continued melting the ice surrounding their comrades. What Zuko didn't notice were the surprised glances between the guards when his back was turned.

Not that they were complaining.

Zuko angrily turned to the pile of snow in front of him and blasted some fireballs at it in an attempt to release his frustrations.

Within just an hours, he had been the first to confront the Avatar, invit- no _capture _the Avatar and let him _escape! _

He officially hated this day.

**~ A few days later ~ Zhao Harbour ~ **

He didn't want to be here. He was still feeling frustrated with what happened an he surely didn't want _General _Zhao to stick his nose into Zuko's business. But his Uncle was persistent and he had no choice but to tag along.

'Urgh… Just because Uncle is running low on tea doesn't mean he has to accept all these offers.'

He glared at the figure in front of him, knowing fully well that the man in front of him was going to ask and taunt him about his quest. Zhao was currently blabbering about the Fire Nation's future victory. A story he had heard a thousand times already and certainly didn't want to hear from that jerk. He was glad that his ship hadn't been damaged enough to gain his suspicion.

He didn't need the man to know that he had actually captured the Avatar only for him to escape.

'Simply because I was trying to be polite'

He should have knocked the boy out while they had been on deck.

"If my father thinks that the rest of the world will follow him willingly, then he is a fool." He truly believed in this – he himself was secretly starting to be reluctant about his father's reign but he would never mention that out loud.

It would surely get him killed.

"Two years had sea have done little to temper your tongue."

'Two years have done enough… not that you will get to see it' The Prince thought as he gritted his teeth, refusing to rise to the bait.

"So how is your search for the Avatar going?" The question seemed nonchalant, but Zuko knew it was anything but. There was a crash that caught both of their attention.

"Eh my fault entirely." His uncle said, backing away from the mess he made. Zuko sweat dropped at this, but remained silent, quite used to his uncle's habits.

"We haven't found him yet." He was more than willing to lie to that annoying stuck-up bastard, but he was not actually lying yet.

He let Zhao's words wash over him, trying not to feel anything. Instead he was thinking about what to say. He knew Zhao's type… they were sneaky and would try to get their information through more than one ways. Which meant… his eyes narrowed.

He trusted his crew, but not enough for them to keep secrets that he hadn't ordered them to keep.

Damn.

Slowly breathing in and out, he turned to the man while he made sure to keep his head high. He waited for the man to finish his sentence, not caring what he was saying, before he cut in.

"As I said. We haven't found him yet. He managed to fight his way out a few days ago."

For a second Zhao wasn't able to hide his astonished expression, something that he thought was highly amusing. "I have managed find the Avatar, something that many people before had not been able to do." He continued, for the first time in days actually starting to feel slightly proud of himself.

"He is a mere child." This was a part he hated to admit.

"And you let him escape." That was just pure mocking towards the prince.

Zuko rose to his feet.

"I did not _let _him do anything."

They were interrupted as a soldier brought the same message he had told Zhao just moments ago and he glared at the man. "You interrogated my men without my permission?" He asked angrily. Secretly he was glad that he had told the truth since it meant that Zhao was now forced to apologise.

Something that the man really didn't want to do by the expression on his face.

"Yes, I apologise."

It came out very forced and the bow that accompanied was just barely good enough to apologise to someone from his status but Zuko took in every pleasure.

"Now tell me _exactly _what happened."

It went down from there.

**~ Much anger, frustration and hurtful words later ~ **

He hated being laughed at, but he hated being underestimated even more.

Zhao had pressed his buttons too many times.

Sure his father would accept him back right? What if Zhao was right?

"_You have got a scar to prove it." _How dare he comment on that?

However much to Zhao's surprise the teenager had not risen to the bait of starting an Angi Ki.

"I doubt you could take it." He had spat in return.

Zhao had not taken that very well.

In the end Zhao had turned out to challenge Zuko after this retort, a foolish action that made him look like he was actually feeling threatened by a teenager of things – which Zuko just _loved_. However seeing as Zuko had gotten a bit of a negative reputation among the soldiers, it could be viewed as just another discipline.

At least that was what it would look like if the General were to win, which Zuko was determined not to let happen.

His honour may be gone but he had his pride.

This was how Zuko found himself facing Zhao at sunset. The gong rung thought the area.

"This will be over soon." The general taunted him, trying to fuel his temper but Zuko was strangely calm.

He was settling himself in the right mindset. His eyes stared at the opponent in front of him and _waited_. Even after a minute he had yet to attack. This was an action that Zhao had not expected and he started taunting the young man.

"Are you having second thoughts?" He taunted again, hoping to get a reaction out of the hot-headed teenager.

He only got a heated glare in return.

In the background, Iroh face palmed and shook his head. As if to acknowledge his uncle's action, Zuko rushed forward. Throwing a couple of slow and harmless fireballs – at a level he had been years ago – he tested the man's defence.

Said man started mocking him and showing of, but Zuko didn't let that get to him. Instead he started thinking. The man was fast and dangerous but Zuko had another advantage. He had been training more intensively in a fighting style that fit him ever since his uncle had been let in on his secret.

A fighting style that Zhao was unfamiliar with. Zhao style on the other hand, was one that Zuko recognised. Its weak point was that it relied on keeping balance because of the firm footwork it needed.

He defended himself from the fire that Zhao shot towards him. As soon as he felt that he got a bit in trouble, he quickly bluffed his way out of it so quickly that Zhao couldn't really understand what just happened.

He didn't take long to realise that he needed to get close to the general.

An idea formed in his head and Zuko suppressed a smirk.

He let Zhao attack him and faked that he was getting overwhelmed. It was quite easy for him to do so as he had gotten very good at drawing the heat away from flames, making them look just as dangerous while they were in fact not warm enough to burn him.

The man got closer and he let himself trip backwards on the ground, watching with glee that Zhao – being the jerk that he was – did as he had expected him to do. He dodged the punch too his face, making sure to draw in the heat of Zhao's flame just to be sure and turned the heat again him as he made him back away.

Zhao's eyes widened.

Zuko smirked.

He won this round.

**~A few minutes later~**

After his uncle saved him from a fireball to the back, Zuko walked with his Uncle to his ship, feeling slightly… strange about the words that Uncle had just said about him.

"Did you really mean that uncle?"

"Of course, I told you Gingsen tea is my favourite."

Zuko shook his head and smiled, before he sobered.

"Uncle… those words he spoke before. Do you think he was right?"

His uncle stilled, knowing _very _well what the teenager was referring too but tried to brush it off.

"You do still have the reputation of saying what is on you mind." Iroh managed to bluff. He knew what his Brother's acceptance of his son meant to his Nephew and didn't want to be the one to destroy the boy's hope for the future.

His nephew actually stopped walking and Iroh turned to him, hoping that he hadn't offended this way either. However there was no trace of anger on the teen's face, instead he stared at his uncle with a blank expression before he actually looked sad.

"I was afraid of that." He muttered as the teenager passed him and didn't say anything for the rest of the trip to the boat where he would lock himself up his again with the final order of letting him know when they were ready to leave.

Iroh sighed unhappily as he watched the young man's back.

He had a very strong feeling that Zuko had not meant his comment about his temper.

_Do you think Zhao was right about my father and that this is all for nothing? _

Yes, Iroh thought Zhao was right, but he only wish he could show the boy that it was not because of any failure on his part. His brother had turned into a person that he had become ashamed to be related too. The depressing thoughts didn't do the man much good, so he decided to make some more tea from a supply of tea leaves he had managed to steal from that horrible General.

If he would notice it, he wouldn't dare to blame it on him anyway.

In his room Zuko was once again meditating with his faithful shadow bird on the ground. Zuko however wasn't looking at it. After he had made sure his door had been locked, he had sat down, closed his eyes and tried to make himself confront the ugly truth that had been facing him for a while.

'My father doesn't care about me at all.'

'_He is not a good father'._

'Will he give me a chance if I bring the Avatar back home?'

For once even his second voice didn't dare to comment; instead it gave him a comforting nudge.

Zuko broke down not soon after that. He didn't dare to make a sound as tears streamed down his face.

He might be able to face it, but accepting it was a whole different story.

Had Zuko opened his eyes he would have been taken back by the fact that his little shadow bird was steadily growing bigger. He might be a banished Prince, but he had at least another side to flee too when being the Prince became too difficult.

What was he going to do now?

**~ End Chapter ~ **

Poor Zuko… I nearly feel bad for making him so sad. Ah well, can't help it. He is after all one of the most emotional conflicted person in the serie with the situation he was in.

Now I have to figure out what to do next. Follow the canon some more? Some Blue Spirit action? Let me know, because I could form all kinds of ideas as long as my mind is set to it - at least I hope so. Suggestions are welcome!

Anyway if you liked what you have read – or even more so if you didn't - please **review**! And tell me why, so I can make sure to make the next chapters even better!

Thank you in advance!


	8. Confrontation in Kyoshi

Gasp! Finally! I got Word again! My laptop crashed a little more than a week ago… a nightmare for every writer/(coughinternetaddictcough)… Thankfully I now have another one available to me!

Anyway, thank you all so much for the heart-warming reviews! It is so satisfying to know that people enjoy reading this story that way.

Now to continue our journey with our favourite banished prince! After realising that Zhao could be right about his father, Zuko will have to find a new reason to continue on his journey and how far will he now go to capture the Avatar?

No Beta, Don't own Avatar:tla, and please give me some feedback if you feel up to it after reading this!

Enjoy!

**Chapter 8: Confrontation in Kyoshi**

They say  
That I must learn to kill before I can feel safe  
But I  
I rather kill myself then turn into their slave

~ Into the Shadows, by the Rasmus

~**Two week later**~

Thank Agni, they were safe again, numerous crew members thought.

Prince Zuko had gone back to his usual brooding. The shift had come out of nowhere. After his meeting with Zhao, the Prince had locked himself in his room for about a week.

Ever since the Prince finally decided to come out of hiding, the Prince had not behaved like he usually would – which meant no sneering, no growling, no frustrated firebending, no yelling, no temper tantrums, and the like. Then, just before a few of the crew members decided that they couldn't take it anymore, his mood changed.

One moment the young prince had been blankly staring at the sea, leaning on the railing of the ship. His expression totally relaxed and his eyes distant. The next, his eyes narrowed, then furrowed and the corner of his lips had twitched before being pulled into a light sneer and the teenager had let out a growl of frustration.

This was the sign that Prince Zuko was back to being… well the 'normal' Prince Zuko.

Most of the crew had let out a sigh of relief at this. The prince had once again been _quiet _too long. The longer that one of the lower members didn't get a frustrated glare directed to them when they were in the way, the more anxious the crew became. He was being creepily silent again', the crew members had whispered among each other.

Only General Iroh didn't look worried. Well, he was worried but not for the same reasons.

Still, the crew members had been waiting for an explosion. Bets had been made. Games had been played to assign the ones – the losers - that would have to answer the Prince the first. Preparations were made and then they had been waiting for the explosion to happen. Most likely with a lost of firebending and yelling.

Luckily for them – or unluckily for those who had placed a lot of money in the bet - Zuko decided not to be so dramatic that day.

The simple growl was kind of anti-climax.

Not that the Prince had been aware of the state of the crew. He had been busy with something else.

Zuko had been thinking.

While being so-called 'creepily silent', the Prince had been far too busy to figure out what the hell he was going to do. A driving point behind hunting for the Avatar was to win his father's approval. However, if this was indeed nearly impossible… then Zuko was unsure what to do.

His uncle had become worried a couple of times, but Zuko had not let himself be pushed away from this inner conflict this time. He wanted to have a motivation to continue travelling.

What else could he do?

He wanted to go home, yes. But what if he got the Avatar and his father would find another reason to send him away? Then the cycle would be continued.

'If that happens, _I will be used again.'_

It had been that moment that something within him had actually sneered at that thought. He was Prince Zuko, son of the Fire Lord. He was expected to respect and serve his father like he had done and would probably do in the future - with or without his love.

At least, he would have tried.

However, Zuko was also _the Blue Spirit_. He would not let someone else hurt him like that ever again. Especially if it were his father.

No. He would follow his mother's dream as he carried the blue mask. It represented the stubbornness in him. The refusal to follow anyone blindly. The refusal to be forced into anything he didn't like. He would not be _used_. His freedom would not be taken away from him like that…

It were these thoughts that had made him actually break the blank mask he had adopted the last couple of days. A few meters away, the crew cheered when they saw the blank mask break and immediately run to their friends to share the good news.

Their grumpy Prince was back.

~**A day later**~

The door creaked and Zuko automatically let his shadow dissolve into the light at the first sound. He was fairly sure that it was his uncle, as no one else would have dared to disrupt him this way. Still he couldn't be too careful.

He wondered what his Uncle wanted.

'I hope it is something that will give me entertainment.' Zuko mentally sighed. Though he was still following the Avatar, the sudden lack of the extra motivation stopped him from being too focussed on it.

He still pretended to be though, so his crew didn't know. After all, dear little Prince Zuko had been tasked with capturing the Avatar, so of course he wouldn't dare to go against his powerful father's order.

The biggest reason that he was following the Avatar was because he didn't have a clue what else to do. The second large reason was the fact that he would not let _Zhoa_ capture the kid. That man wouldn't care less to hurt the boy – or anyone in his way.

Another tiny factor might be Zuko's pride, he had admitted to himself. That brat had escaped before he had even had a chance to talk to him. He had been trying to be nice, but damn it! He was not going to let him get away next time without at least showing him that he was not to be underestimated. They were going to have to talk… somehow.

He would not be humiliated again like that.

Iroh's voice made him snap out of his grumpy thoughts. "Ah Prince Zuko, you told me to interrupt you when we had news about the Avatar."

As soon as Zuko had confirmed that it had been indeed his uncle that was visiting him, he had returned to his daily exercises with the shadows. The one he was currently working on was a new experiment. He closed his eyes and tried to sense, just where the light was situated in the room.

"I did." He confirmed, taking another calming breath as he peeked through eyes. He mentally frowned when his Uncle didn't make a move to sit down. He was also carrying a map, which he was strategically keeping in front of him. He also noted the fan that stuck out just ever so slightly of his uncle's pocket.

'No good news then?' The Prince thought grumbling and decided to have some fun instead. His uncle wouldn't mind if he used him as a practice target right?

"Well is there news?" He snapped and saw Iroh make a face at his apparent 'bad mood'. He supressed a smirk.

"Well, there is news, Prince Zuko, but you might not like it. Don't get too upset."

Even more amused, he let himself puff his chest forward ever so slightly to complete the attitude he was going to act. " Uncle, you taught me that keeping a level head is a sign of a great leader. Now whatever you have to say, I'm sure that I can take it." Zuko had to repress an amused smile as he stated this.

There was a slight pause, in which Iroh couldn't find a reason not to tell him. " Okay, then... we have no idea where he is."

With a mental grin, Zuko let the candles around him flare playfully. Then abrubtly he absorbed the light in the air around him as far as he could, resulting the whole room to become completely dark. Zuko opened his eyes and blinked slightly. He had finally managed to make it pitch black this time.

A sense of accomplishment made him smile in the darkness. He absently studied the state of his inner fire, which was burning happily with the extra energy it was borrowing. After all, he would eventually had to give back what wasn't his.

Musing over this and far too used to sitting in the dark, Zuko momentarily forgot about his Uncle.

"Err, Prince Zuko?" The elder Prince called out the his nephew. Said Nephew wasn't reacting, so he shuffled forward ever so slightly in attempt to search for him.

"Nephew?" Iroh called out again and let a flame appear in his hand. His eyes widened when he still couldn't see much of the room. Normally the flame would be enough to light the whole cabin, but it was as if something was stopping the light from reaching everywhere.

Iroh was well-aware that it was Zuko's doing, but he couldn't help but wonder how the teenager was managing it. With a sigh, he reabsorbed the flame in his hand.

Zuko was about to return the light when he suddenly picked something up. Another light source… It felt different, yet familiar at the same time.

There was still energy coming from somewhere…

Zuko curiously pulled, but it remained where it was. Suddenly it dimmed, but now Zuko had studied it for a moment, he picked up the slight whisper in the place it had been before. Following the feeling of the energy, he realised it matched the shuffling of his uncle. Was he actually-?

_Crash!_

Zuko sweat dropped.

The light returned and his uncle stared sheepishly as one of his souvenirs from the Earth Nation now laid broken on the ground.

There was a pause between them as Zuko gave his Uncle a look. 'I'm not going to do that anytime soon with him around.'Zuko decided.

His eyebrow twitched and he felt irritation rise, but he kept it in.

"Just- just give me the map."

As he hovered over it, his eyebrow raised at the… diversity of the sightings. Sure the kid had a flying bison, but even then they were going zigzagging too much for the Avatar to simply go somewhere.

Where they trying to evade him?

He glanced at the dots and crosses again.

"He is clearly a master of evasive manoeuvring…" Zuko muttered to his uncle, before his eye caught one manoeuvre that seemed as if they…

"Uncle, could they be actually lost?" He asked.

His uncle looked surprised at his suggestion, glancing down at the map once more himself. They looked at each other and both simultaneously began to shake their heads.

"I don't think the Avatar of all people could be that lost." Zuko muttered and Iroh nodded in agreement.

"In the sky everything should be far more easy to find." His uncle added to his theory and both continued to muse over the strange pattern of crosses and dots that was scattered over the map.

~**A day later**~

"The Avatar's on Kyoshi Island?" Zuko repeated, somewhat surprised and excited to hear that the location of the Avatar had been found. He managed to keep it out of his voice though and waved the man away, not wanting to share any of his emotions with the man.

He glanced at his Uncle, who appeared not to be studying him at all, but Zuko knew that he most definitely was.

Zuko grumbled under his breath.

It was one thing to chase the Avatar around, but another thing to confront him in a village. Zuko knew that his attempt to even the score between him and the avatar – meaning some sparring and some talking - would immediately be seen as an attack from the 'oh so very evil heartless firebenders'.

He didn't think this village would be much different than some of the others he had been in, where the attitude towards Fire Nation had been all but welcome.

Much to his disappointment.

'What kind of defense does Kyoshi have again?' He pondered, knowing that his teachers had discussed it at some point.

Beside the information he vaguely remembered, Zuko realised that he actually didn't know much of Kyoshi Island.

'_Think before you act.'_ Zuko had learned this the hard way on many of his outings. It was this little experience that made him reluctant to follow his first urge of action. Which had been to rush over to the village. Somehow he wasn't sure whether that would be the right action to take.

He glanced down at his fish, then at his uncle who was staring at it will a slight gleam in his eye.

The man loved this dish. With a sigh he split it up and shoved half of it towards his Uncle, which was the bigger part of the fish.

"Ah thank you Nephew, how generous of you!" Uncle said before he started shoving the food into his mouth.

Zuko just grunted and dug into the meal himself, though at a calmer pace. He was about to take his second bite, when his hand stilled. He glanced at his Uncle as he suddenly realised that the older man had travelled a lot himself. Surely he knew more about this?

"Hey Uncle, what do you know about Kyoshi Island?" He questioned the older man, who stopped eating to answer.

"Well." Iroh started, moving his hand through his beard in thought. "They have stayed out of the war and are determined to stay neutral. Though their attitude towards the Fire Nation, may indicate otherwise…"

Zuko let his chin rest on his hands, attention fully focused on the information that his Uncle was sharing with him.

'_Always be prepared' _A soft whisper called out in his head, but it was ignored in favour of his Uncles voice.

So they had their own warriors huh?

**~Next day~**

"Alright, so I will go on ahead. Just head down to Kyoshi Island and make sure you are visible. The Avatar will then most likely try to flee. I will try to confront him in the meantime. If he doesn't, get team seven and nine ready to head over to the village and to meet me there." Zuko's loud voice carried his order out to everyone that needed to hear.

He glared as he looked at a couple of his soldiers from team seven and nine.

"I want absolutely NO fighting until I say so, except if you should defend yourself. If I, for whatever reason, do not get back in four days. Head back to harbour you had bought that Jasmin tea last month. I will find my way back there or try to contact you with a message. Understood?" Zuko ordered his Uncle and the few guards that were in earshot.

If Iroh was surprised that Zuko knew about his Jasmin tea, his didn't show it. However on the inside, the man actually was surprised, as he clearly remembered that he had discussed it during one of the crew's music evenings.

Iroh smiled mentally Maybe the Prince wasn't as absent as everyone thought he was.

. 'Well, he does have some tactics to go unnoticed.' The man thought, remembering their little secret. The evening darkness would surely provide him with enough cover.

He glanced at the teenager that stood tall as he stood in their only little speedboat while it was being lowered to the ground. It run mostly with the help of the fire from a firebender. Though it was small, it was much faster than their ship was.

He would arrive about a day earlier than they would.

Zuko's hand twitched. Something that didn't go unnoticed by the older man's eye.

Zuko's temper was getting more visible the more time passed. Iroh was worried that he would do something reckless. He knew that his Nephew was a bright young man, with a good heart, but he couldn't ignore that the teenager could rush into things when angered.

He had tried to change the teenagers mind a few hours ago.

"Take at least some men with you Prince Zuko." He had pleaded.

"I don't need any men to protect me Uncle." His nephew had retorted as he had moved about to pack a small bag in his room.

"Nephe-"

"They will only get in my way, Uncle." Zuko finally admitted as he let a shadow envelop him ever so slightly to let his Uncle know what he was planning.

Understanding crossed Iroh's face and he smiled ever so slightly, though there was still a bit of worry lingering.

"Just don't get caught."

"Uncle, I have been training for too long for that to happen so easily." Zuko told him confidently. '… not to forget that I have quite some experience in real life situations.'

He continued out loud. " I'm not going to confront him directly. I'm going to observe him information about his character."

'Find out if he is dangerous to the Fire Nation. _He's just a child. _He's the Avatar.' Thoughts whirled around the Prince's head.

"I understood Nephew. Just be careful. Don't go out and confront the whole village on your own." His uncle tried to calm him down.

"I won't."

Which was how they had ended up here. He stared at his nephew. He had grown up so fast. It saddened the man how fast he had been forced to grow up in these circumstances.

"Good luck Prince Zuko."

"Thank you Uncle."

With a final wave to his uncle, he started the motor of the little boat and gave it an extra boost with his firebending. The older man watched him as he sped off and couldn't help but feel a little bit of dread building up in his stomach.

He needed some more tea.

~A few hours later~

Zuko started. He simply stared.

The Avatar… he was acting like a little child. No scratch that. They were all bickering like little children. The whole group of them. He had watched from a distance as the pathetic warrior from the Water Tribe 'Sokka' finally swallowed his pride and asked for some help.

Being a fighter himself he couldn't help but feel slightly grateful that the boy at least was going to have some basic skill in their next fight.

The Watar Girl, Katara he remembered, was brooding as the Avatar, Aang, was bouncing around and enjoying his little fan club.

This was just…

He was broken out of his thoughts as he heard some shuffling come closer to his hiding place and lowered himself a bit more on the dark spot on the roof, having some shadow up to blend in more.

His hand reached out to cover the shiny part of his mask that would be first noticed – one again learned from experience.

Once the danger had passed he went back to observe the antics between the children. He couldn't really see them as anything different. They were so freaking naïve! They seemed so innocent! They didn't have any experience with the world yet.

How the hell were they going to survive this?

'Maybe this had not been a good idea.' Zuko couldn't help but think. 'He really is just a child.' He watched as the boy was once again chases by his fan club. ' that is starting to let this all go to his head.'

With a sigh, the Blue Spirit slipped from the roof and back into the woods, making sure not to meet anyone.

He had no longer any illusions on how ruthless the Fire Nation could be if they had to achieve their goals. Zuko had to admit that it was one of their little flaws, but there was not much he could do about that.

The thing was that if he were to capture the avatar. He wasn't sure how the kid would handle the isolation he would surely end up in if he were to refuse his father's offerings. He knew enough about his father to know how that would go.

'Shit.' He couldn't help but think, doubt once again taking reign of him.

'_Let the kid just go for now.'_

'No I still have to confront him.'

'_Let him be a kid for a while. Let him learn.'_

Zuko frowned at the sudden conflict that was erupting in his head. He had noted that it sometimes happened, but only now he realised that it might not be really healthy.

'Please don't tell me I'm starting to become crazy too? ' He silently pleaded. He had enough on his plate already.

Zuko didn't know if he should be worried about the fact that it suddenly became very silent in his head.

With a grumble he turned around to head back to the small boat that he had hidden out of sigh from the village. His crew would arrive soon and he would just have to scare the kid away from this island, because this attitude wouldn't do him any good.

Of course, the only reason why Zuko decided to do this was Zuko's annoyance. The ever so tiny little need to prevent the kid from developing an Azula-attitude had absolutely nothing to do with it.

At least that was what he kept telling himself.

**~A few hours later~**

"What did I tell you about setting houses to fire!" Zuko yelled at his men as one of them had deliberately done just that.

The man stared at him, actually surprised, before he was forced to dodge the attack of one of the Kyoshi warriors.

Zuko let out a frustrated sigh through his nose, causing flames to accompany the air. This was once again not a good day.

For some reason, he had, once again, stupidly tried to take the polite approach. Letting the village know that they were coming in without the intent to harm, because he only wanted to speak to the Avatar.

For some reason, nobody believed him.

For some reason they thought that attacking them would be the best action to take.

For some reason, Zuko had already been prepared for this.

Which was why the Prince had been easily able to parry the attack on his person. A good thing, because those fans were pretty sharp. He had pushed the Kyoshi warrior away as self defense, but this was probably seen as the sign to start fighting from both sides.

Zuko grumbled angrily under his breath about 'his life being so unfair' as he ducked under another swipe. As soon as the fan was out of reach, he grasped the girl's arm and twisted her around, so he could keep her immobile for, he estimated, three second.

"Why did you attack me to fight? Why don't you people ever try to talk to me?" He hissed to her and pushed her away to the ground. She stared at him in surprise, as if she had been expecting him to hurt her or worse.

Those eyes made Zuko feel sick. In this state of mind, being very emotional, it wasn't strange that his hands were enveloped with fire. He glared at the girl, trying to find a way to stop the fighting.

"Call your people back." He ordered her, though he knew it was fairly useless.

Before he could threaten her any more another presence stood between them. 'Sokka…' Zuko eventually noted, though he had nearly mistaken him for another Kyoshi Warrior, had it not been for the height and the fact that Zuko had seen him a couple of times before.

"Go away Zuko."

Zuko's eyes narrowed at him, wondering where they had learned his name. "Stand down _boy._" He tried to rile the boy up.

He certainly succeeded. 'Too easy' Zuko thought as Sokka ran to him. A sudden curiosity caught up to Zuko and he decided to test his hand to hand combat, just to see how much he had improved.

He barely managed to dodge a grasp for his arm and his eyebrow raised in surprise. Interesting. Having played enough, he kicked the boy away. He was knocked again the Kyoshi leader and both went down again.

"Avatar!" He shouted.

Where was that damn kid.

"Over here!" He followed the voice and indeed, the kid stood there in the middle of the street.

He rushed forward, planning to get some of his frustration out. They changed some blows and run around the place.

"Why do you always believe that I come to kill or something! " He growled out as he dodged another air strike.

Aang's eyes widened in surprise. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You know fully well-" They were interrupted by a scream from a young girl.

The instincts of his other identity kicked in and he immediately turned around to find the person in danger. Seeing as he didn't really see the Avatar as a threat, he only remembered a second too late that he was still fighting the kid.

Before he knew it, he was blasted through a wall. Cursing, he struggled to stand up again. There was another shout and Zuko glanced back at the location he knew the Avatar was and then to the place the scream had came from.

Aw damn it.

He rushed forward and eventually ended up at a burning house. There was a small group of people standing outside. A man was trying to walk towards the fire, but he was help back by his friends.

"Let me go you f-" Zuko didn't really catch half of the curses. "I need to get Hime!"

"You stupid moron, we can't lose you too!" A friend growled out.

Zuko didn't need any more information and ran past the group, causing gasps of shock to follow. "You fucking bastard!" He heard the father shout after him, most likely thinking that he was going to kill her personally or something.

Feeling his heart to become heavy he dodged around the hottest flames, and feverishly focussed to keep the heat away from him.

"Where are you?" He shouted.

"Here!" A soft sob came, followed by coughing.

Zuko barged into a back room, and saw the the windows and doors had been blocked as a part of the house had fallen down. The other side of the room, where he jumped through, was surrounded by fire, leaving the girl no place to go.

"Shhh…" He tried to calm her down as she cried out in fright as soon as she his clothes.

"Get away from me!" She sobbed.

"Calm down, I'm getting you out of here." Zuko said and picked her up.

She tried to get out of his grip, but she was already too disorientated to get away from him – something Zuko was grateful for.

"Hold on!" He said as he jumped out of the way, just as the roof above them started to collapse. With a scream from the girl, he started dodging around the room once again, focusing once again on the heat of the flames.

In the end, he had to jump out of the front room to keep the girls clothes from catching fire, resulting a somewhat spectacular scene to occur for those who were standing outside.

With a slight cough he calmly let the girl down, who was coughing violently because of the sudden air that was available to her. With some difficulty he tried to get her to lose her grip from his armour.

"You can let go now." He told her when he was unsuccessful without hurting her. Two doo-like brown eyes stared up at him in wonder.

"Thank you." She whispered as her mind caught up to him.

He grunted as she finally let go and he lowered her to the ground.

"Hime!" A voice made Zuko startle out of his thoughts. Knowing that there was a chance to be attacked he quickly took his distance and checked up on the status of his group. They were on the other side of the small village by now, chasing the Avatar still.

His eyes glared at the burning houses.

He was going to have to talk to the teams about throwing around fire without caution… again.

With a sigh he started running towards his group, but was stopped by a shout. "Wait!" It was the father again.

He turned cautiously. He hadn't noticed any sound or moves of attack.

"Thank you." The man told him, hugging his coughing daughter to him. Zuko nodded at him, not really knowing what to say to the man and started running again.

Catching up, he stared at the sigh before him with surprise.

Splash.

'Just when I thought the day couldn't get any worse.' Zuko thought, as he watched the Avatar escape once again, while being completely drowned with water.

Great.

"Get to the ship and follow him!" He shouted to the other and glanced back to the village. Luckily, thanks to his previous orders of not setting any houses to fire, many of them had been spared. Still Zuko couldn't help but feel guilty as he left the village behind.

At these kind of moments, he hated his life.

**~End Chapter~**

Another chapter finished. I hope that it isn't too boring. I'm planning on a couple more confrontations between the two before the big change to happen.

Please let me know when you think a chapter is starting to get boring! That way I can keep it in mind while writing the next. If you liked the chapter, please let me know as well – and what you liked the most – so I can improve the next chapters.

So in other words: feedback time!

Then I will go back to writing. Till next time!


	9. Watching your Back

So many supportive reviews and new favs again. That means we have some new followers! Welcome! Thank you for all the nice reviews, I'm so glad you like it so far!

One tiny question to who is interested. Do you think my summary is good enough? Or does it not fit the story? If not, any suggestions? Let me know after reading this yes?

Now here is one of my few favourite funny situations with Zuko and Iroh and decided to give it a little twist. I hope you guys enjoy reading it as much as I did thinking it up – it is always the writing down part that takes so much time sigh.

Well enough rambling on my part, it will be your turn once you finished reading this. Haha.

Let's follow Zuko as he continues on his journey and is once again confronted with the Avatar, though this time, in a slightly different situation.

Enjoy!

Oh right, no beta, no ownership of ATLA avatars.

**Chapter 9: Watching your Back**

I've been watching  
I've been waiting  
In the shadows all my time

~ Into the Shadows, The Rasmus

**~Zuko~**

Interesting…

Zuko stared at the mess that was visible on the offshore Fire Nation prison that had been built in the middle of the sea to render the bending of the earthbenders useless .

'Not being able to bend anything…' He shuddered ever so slightly at the thoughts. crouched down as he took a little piece of coal between his fingers and crumbled it.

Coal huh?

He repressed an amused smile. He could appreciate smart thinking. He had forced the story out of the men that had worked here. Zuko might be banished, but he was still a Prince. There were many soldiers that didn't even dare not to answer questions that he asked.

With a heavy sigh he stared at the beautiful view of the sunset ahead of him.

He had set his soldiers on the work of fishing out some of the Fire Nation soldiers out of the water. They were still busy. The earthbenders must have thrown quite a number of soldiers in the water during the rebellion.

A couple of minutes ago he had been informed that the warden of the prison had drowned. Such a shame. He didn't feel very sorry for the man though.

He had heard about the man, especially from the captain that he had thrown overboard himself, which could as well have killed the man, had he not been able to bring himself to safety.

His men were busy with fishing other soldiers from the water. Luckily, nearly every soldier that couldn't swim had been saved by one that could. They had huddled on a very small platform at the surface of the sea. They were usually only used for repair matters and made to about five men, but they had

managed to share. The warden hadn't been saved.

'Survival of the fittest.' His logical mind provided.

'_Survival of those that are deemed worthy saving by others'_

'Loyalty.'

'_Friendship.'_

Zuko stared in front of him, suddenly thinking about his own situation. There were not many people who he considered to be his friend. He remembered that he had been very friendly with a couple of guards years ago, but that seemed so far away.

Would his crew save him? Not just out of orders, but because they wanted to?

He liked to think so. He wouldn't hesitate to save them. Surely they knew that?

A uncomfortable feeling built up in his stomach and pushed the thought away. He was good at that, pushing thoughts away. He had to focus on something different, more important. He had to figure out where to go

'Where would you go?' Zuko mused. He had heard that a couple of soldiers had seen them leave to the North.

At the moment, the Avatar had only mastered air of all the elements. Knowing very well how the cycle of the elements worked, Zuko knew that water would be next on his list. His eyes glanced over the water. Most likely, he was going to the North Pole. At least, that would be the best action to take. He would be welcomed with open arms and it was a place that was still safe fro-

That the Fire Nation had yet to take over.

' I will track him down later.' Zuko thought, for some reason confident that their paths would cross again.

A tingle in the back of his mind always seemed to let him know when to pay attention to any clues. Like it was doing now. Zuko looked around him suspiciously before he suddenly caught something reflecting some of the last sunlight.

Closing in on the object he realised that it was a necklace. More specifically, the necklace of the Water Girl.

That could prove to be useful.

His fingers brushed over the beautiful pendant. The girl had been wearing this non-stop he realised. It must be valuable to her.

'Like my dagger.' He realised, feeling its presence of it being strapped to the side of his lower leg, covered by his trousers and boots.

He could just as easily leave it behind, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to.

Standing tall again, he let himself enjoy the fury red sunset for a moment. His Uncle would let him know when they were ready to leave. At least there was one man he could trust to watch his back, like he had done for so many years already.

His hand clenched around the necklace.

He would return the favour.

**~A couple of days later~**

"…_but be back at the ship in an half hour, or I'm leaving without you."_

It had been so easy to say those words, but as soon as he had left the clearing, there had been a certain nagging in the back of his mind that just couldn't let him leave his uncle unprotected like that.

Sure he was an experienced Master in Firebender, but Zuko knew that his Uncle had the tendency to become… distracted from time to time.

'_Protect your loved ones.'_

"He can protect himself like I can protect myself." He softly grumbled to himself.

'_Watching each other's back is safer.'_

Zuko couldn't really fight against that argument. The most difficult fight he had a while ago was against a pair of twins that worked so good together that they seemed to be able to read each other's minds.

It had been one of the best challenges he had in a long time. He smirked as he remembered the rush of energy he had felt at the time. Looking back at it, he knew that that fight had taught him a lot.

Zuko shook his head and rubbed his shoulder, knowing that the wound had left behind a scar. They made sure he wouldn't be able to forget them, just like they wouldn't be able to forget him.

Anyway, that was a story for another time.

Still, even though the whole 'urge to watch his uncle's back' was logical when he had walked away, now that the teenager was waiting, it seemed so useless.

Zuko glared at the figure that was thoroughly enjoyed the hot spring that they had found on their way. His time was nearly up and the old man had still made no move to get ready to go to the ship.

His eye twitched and a slight steam accompanied his breathe when a loud snore broke the peaceful silence of the clearing.

His uncle had fallen asleep.

Grumbling, Zuko pondered whether he should jump down the tree he was hiding in and to wake his uncle himself. Eventually he decided against it. Uncle would most likely try to get him to stay even longer. The man had nearly managed to sweet talk him into joining him a while ago, but Zuko hadn't felt like it.

They were at enemy's territory. The Fire Nation hadn't been very active in this region yet, so the chance at meeting earthbenders were larger than usual.

Yes, he his training to become more paranoid was going very well.

With a heavy sigh, Zuko slumped back against the bark of the tree. He would continue to watch his Uncle a little longer. No matter how powerful his Iroh was, even the Dragon of the West was vulnerable in his sleep.

He would give him ten more minutes. Not a second longer.

Staring blankly ahead, Zuko let his usual inner conflicts catch up to him now he had nothing else to do. A rumble of earth made him straighten up in defence.

Earthbenders.

Suddenly it was silent again, but the sound had woken his uncle up. He snapped awake and looked around suspiciously. Zuko sighed in relief, only to slap his hand to his forehead when his Uncle started talking to a vole of all things.

"A meadow vole! I should have known. You startled me, little one."

That thing just had to jump out at that moment didn't it?

Thinking that there had been no threat at all, his uncle leant back and put his hand behind his back. He let out a relaxing sigh as he smiled contently._ "_Seems I've dozed off and missed my nephew's deadline, but it was a very sweet nap."

Zuko's eyebrow twitched at the nonchalant manner in which he had said it. He shoved the annoyance to the side for the moment though. He , in contrast to his Uncle, didn't think the coast was clear yet.

Crouching on the thick branch he had been waiting on, he stood cautiously.

'Where are they?' Zuko's eyes wandered to their surroundings. He had only been looking in the opposite direction for a moment when projectiles of rock closed in on his uncle. Eyes widened in shock and he jumped to another branch to jum-

The rocks stopped. They only held his uncle captive. There was going to be a confrontation. The information flowed in his brain.

Eyes widened even further as energy rushed through him. He was in plain sight. His senses were screaming at him that this was not the way to go.

'_Hide in the shadows'_

'I have to help him.'

'_Hide and wait'_

Zuko froze momentarily, unsure of what to do. He stared at the four Earth Nation soldiers surrounded his uncle. The branch under his feet cracked ever so slightly, a sound that he knew the soldiers would notice.

His instincts took over and he was suddenly moving back into the shadows, just as the soldier beneath his turned around.

"What is wrong?"

The soldier waved his hand to indicate that he was going to look. He squinted up into the tree as he circled it. With a move of his arms the rock he stood on began to rise.

Zuko kept his breath in check and manipulated his shadow even more, trying to make it the least suspicious as possible. For a moment the soldier made eye contact, though his gaze left his soon as well. His shadow was holding up well.

After some tense seconds, the soldier lowered himself to the ground.

"Safe." He muttered and they once again focused on the 'Dragon of the West' who was glaring at them.

In the trees, Zuko relaxed his uncle was told that he was their prisoner. This he could do. He just had to wait for the right moment. He had done this many times before after all. Maybe not with as many earthbenders, but he would manage.

As long as he got his uncle free that is.

His eyes glanced at the soldiers, taking in the fact that they were concentrating to keep the triangle pieces of rock ready to keep his Uncle immobile.

They were no Masters, that was clear. They needed too much focus for that. A plan started to formulate in his head as he silently regarded the strange hard berries that hung in the tree he was hiding.

Zuko smirked ever so slightly and grabbed them. Spotting more along the way as he followed them.

'Let's see how good my aim is.'

**~Scene Break - Iroh~**

While – unknown to him - his dear nephew was busy plotting, the great 'Dragon of the West' was busy with mentally cursing himself.

He should have known that a mere vole wouldn't have made him feel so on guard like he had felt. Now he was paying the consequences. With a mental sigh, Iroh studied the earth benders. The three soldiers that were keeping him in place didn't seem that experienced yet. If their concentration was to be broken, there was a chance that he would be able to break the stone with his own chi without the Earthbender's chi present.

His eyes narrowed down on the leader.

Only the captain would be a challenge to get away from if they were going to keep him immobile.

Iroh knew that struggling wouldn't really be useful in these kinds of situations, so he didn't try to play dirty – yet – when they bound his hands together with stone and one of the soldiers stepped forward to put his hands in shackles.

He was kind of glad when the projectiles surrounding his neck lowered. Even though he knew that they were going to take him prisoner, the danger of being killed had still been there.

A little later they moved him towards their animals, while joking about his lack of clothing and his revelation along the way.

No one noticed the shadow that was following him from above, even though he nearly stumbled out of a tree twice, had to climb down and up another tree four times and jump in open sight three times.

Luckily it was a habit of humans not to look up too much.

Once they arrived, Iroh watched the animals with guarded eyes. He knew what was going to happen and he just knew that he was going to feel like throwing up at the end of the journey.

With some effort, the largest soldier placed him on the back of the animal. The ground around Iroh shifted treatenly, reminding him not to do anything funny. Just when the young man was about to hop on the animal himself, something hit him in the face. The man hissed out in pain as it stung his face.

'What was that?' Iroh's eye caught the strange little berry that now laid on the ground next to the man.

A smile formed on his lips and his eyes twinkled slightly.

"Ouch!" The soldier cried out as another one hit his face.

"What is going on? Why did you sto-" The captain jumped away from the sudden attack of berries on his own face. His eyes narrowed when he noted some were _hot. _His eyes narrowed as he scanned the trees in the direction they had come from.

First they had suspected someone to be hiding in the trees and now hot berries were thrown at them?

This surely wasn't a coincidence wasn't it?

_Firebender._

His eyes narrowed when he saw the concentration of his soldiers cracking when they were also hit with small hot berries, burning their skin ever so slightly.

With their attention now at the trees, their attention to everything that was happening on the ground was waning. Not to forget that their effort to protect their face, cost them part of their sight.

"No fools, keep your concentration on the Dragon, if you don't keep your guard up he migh be able to-!"

He hissed when more berries rained down upon him and his temper got the best of him.

"Find him!" He ordered, taking over the control of the earth that surrounded the old man. His comrades didn't even hesitate to follow his command and stomped on the ground to propel themselves to the branches of the trees.

The captain was left behind and glared at the smiling old man in front of him.

"Who is your back-up? How many are there?" He growled at the man.

"I'm sorry, but I was unaware of this back-up myself." The man answered smiling. The captain had mostly gotten his position because he could read people very well. The man was clearly not lying…

A drop of sweat rolled down his head as he guardedly eyed his surroundings.

It took only a few minutes of the wary tension, for him to realise that he probably should not have send all of them to check since he now didn't have a back-up.

A yell, followed by a soft 'thump' made the captain tense even more.

"Show you face or the man will get it." He shouted, pulling the old man roughly from the animal's back and onto the ground.

Hands spread out, he formed a large boulder and held it above the man, whose eyes widened as he looked at him.

Good, he was afraid.

Wait. The captain's eyes widened as he realised that the man was actually looking over his shoulder. The captain froze as he heard a branch crack above him, but unfortunately the man reacted a second to late as he was suddenly attacked from above.

The captain stiffened as he felt a very warm hand – _hot hot hot_! – grasp the back of his neck.

"You dare to let that go and you won't be able to get up again." A very dangerous growl made him shiver.

Dangerous.

The mere second that his attention had shifted, gave Iroh the opportunity to roll away from under the stone.

A loud thud followed not much later as the large stone and the currently unconscious captain landed on the ground.

"I was wondering when you would appear." His uncle smiled at the teenager that walked towards him.

He dodged some berries that were thrown his way. A few hit him, but luckily they were simply warm instead of burning.

"Uncle…"

The growl that he had used to intimidate the captain was still lingering, making Iroh smile sheepishly at the teenager.

"Ah Nephew, well…"

"Please don't end up in a situation like that again." Zuko glared at him.

"Ah but it are situations like this that teach us that- "He didn't get much further as his clothes were thrown at him, most likely obtained from one of the soldiers that had stowed it in his bag.

" Just get your clothes on. You already missed your deadline as it is."

Iroh nodded at him and then glanced down at the shackles on his hands and smiled at Zuko as if nothing was out of ordinary.

"So… did you perhaps find a key on the way?"

**~a few hours later~ **

Having send back his Uncle – as he was far too annoyed with him at the moment – Zuko crept towards the direction which he had seen the Avatar's bison fly to. Of course this had not gone easy. His Uncle still regarded him like some little child that couldn't take care of himself.

He could take care of himself _very well, _thank you very much.

He had done that countless times in the past years.

Which was why he had once again lashed out to his Uncle, when he commented about it. Of course he had been too annoyed to apologise, but there had been a mental nudge in the back of his mind that just felt as disapproval.

He would apologise later.

He was glad that he had the habit to keep his little bag with him when he went out, allowing him to wear the familiar blue mask, to provide just a little more safety.

It had nothing to do with the slightly addicting feeling of freedom that it constantly provided, for it momentarily relieved him from the weights and responsibilities – which he managed to screw up – and made him feel a little lighter.

Deep in dark thoughts, Zuko continued creeping through the shadows. He was so deep in thought that when the forest suddenly stopped, he didn't immediately notice. Quickly catching himself, he crept back in the shadows.

Unfortunately for him, he had timed his rare mistake slightly poorly as a young boy – who had bragged to his friends about going to 'patrol' the village for sings of the evil spirit - had just been running around.

Of course, as an unspoken and unwritten rule with Zuko's karma, when he manages to slip up, it often escalates in the worst situations….

Which could be the reason that an eight-year old brown-haired boy caught sight of his mask ever so shortly before he covered himself with the shadow again.

He froze and Zuko tensed.

"Spirit!" The boy screamed like bloody murder, shaking as he didn't dare to move and run back into the village. Cursing mentally, Zuko slipped back into the forest.

Hearing the shouts of the boy, it didn't take long for the tense and protective men of the village to appear right next to him before Zuko could decide what to do.

"Where?" One of the men asked the boy, pulling him close to him in order to protect him.

With a shaky finger, the kid pointed in the general direction where Zuko had been standing. As the men bravely tried to search for him, he watched them from his new hiding spot.

'What is this all about?' The firebender wondered.

Sure, he knew that there were some rumours going around about the Blue Spirit because of his actions – which had causes him to become too confident in himself with those damn twins, BUT that was a thought for another time.

But to be called a spirit was something new. In the meantime a small crowd had formed and were forming a protective circle around the child as they inched back.

"Leave him alone spirit!" A large man shouted into his direction.

"You have taken enough from us already!"

There was a slight pause as one of them suddenly turned to someone else, obviously the brighter one in the group. "Wait, didn't the spirit only come out in the dark?"

They glanced at the setting sun. It would take about one or two hours before it would be dark.

Another one answered worriedly, covering the ears of the boy even though he protested. "The chief said he is getting stronger because of the winter solstice."

"But for him to appear in the light?"

The bickering continued, but the tension in the group didn't lessen one tiny bit.

Zuko frowned at them, tapping his mask in thought. It wouldn't do for him to scare them into oblivion if he were to jump out of his hiding place and calm them down. Who knew what they might do. On the other hand there was no way he was going to leave, he still had an Avatar to find.

With a sigh, he was planning to retreat to the shadows when a sentence caught his attention.

"Let's warn the Chief! Maybe the Avatar can help!" One of the men cried and run away to do just that before one of the others could protest.

Which they did, only after he had left. "Why does he always do that? What if-" Zuko tuned them out, too caught up with more important information.

The Avatar?

It seemed he was in the village then. Now that was interesting. Zuko smirked, content with the new information. A silent buzz started in his head, all his old hopes and thoughts resurfacing.

It overwhelmed him momentarily, not expecting such a setback after he thought that he had accepted his situation.

Shit. He still hadn't accepted it then.

Once again distracted, he slipped up again. Cursing and wondering what was messing up with his control, he was once again too late to hide in the shadows.

"There it is!"

"Wait that is no spirit!"

"Blue Spirit?" A woman gasped out loud and the others turned to her.

"No way, another spirit?" The man next to said full disbelief.

Grumbling angrily from his hiding spot he kept a warily glance at the crowd that had formed.

**~Scene Break - Aang~**

Aang shuffled uncomfortably as the old man in front of him seemed to put the village whole faith him with a few simple words.

"Who better to resolve a crisis between our world and the spirit world than the Avatar himself? You are the great bridge between man and spirits."

The young airbender winched mentally, knowing that he didn't have any clue how to take care of all this spirit stuff at all.

Still he couldn't let the village down right? He was the Avatar after all.

Staring at the man's relieved and hopeful expression, Aang couldn't let himself be truthful with the man and let him down.

"Right…that's me." He replied, slightly uncomfortable.

He could at least try right? He had still a few hours before the sun set, maybe he could-

"Chief!" There was a shout and one of the villagers, a scuffy man, run into the room without knocking, his face panicked.

"What is it?" The chief, immediately responded, worst senarios coming in mind.

"The spirit! Juri saw something in the forest." The man breathed out, trying to calm down his panting.

The man's eyes widened and then turned towards Aang, who winched.

"Errr… lead the way?"

**~Scene Break - Zuko~**

Alright, this was not a good idea.

Zuko rushed past another tree. There had been a sense of foreboding as one of the man had ran away. Then not much later, he had seen the group call out and point to the air. The moment he had seen the kid fold his flyer and land next to the group, the firebender had panicked.

A urge to flee had overwhelmed him like he had never felt before. He didn't not want to be confronted. He didn't not want this peace to be disrupted. He wanted to flee, to get away from this situation… which was actually what he was doing.

'No wait, I never flee' Zuko thought stubbornly as he rushed through forwards. He was making a tactical retreat. Yes. That did sound much better.

So much better.

'_Only flee when necessary.'_

'I'm not fleeing!'

The mental nudge that contained a feeling of amusement did not cease Zuko's worries about his mental stability. No, it only made him run faster.

"Hey Spirit wait up!"

Stupid. Stupid Avatar! Now he had no choice but to get the kid to lose his trail. As he pushed himself even slightly faster, he stubbornly refused to acknowledge the feeling of amusement in the back of head.

"Wait up Blue Spirit!"

For some reason, Zuko wasn't planning to listen to him.

**~End Chapter ~**

Feedback Time!

Yeah Zuko, even as the Blue Spirit, you are not safe from Aang. Who has a clue what will happen? Or what do you not want to happen (that gives me an idea whether I should change stuff hehe)

Now, I also wonder who caught the hint of two OC's that I might be planning to introduce if people are curious enough.

For those who provide feedback, thanks in advance!

Oh btw I constantly forget to answer your questions, so if you have them, please let me know if you want me to answer you alright?


	10. Chasing Shadows

**Summary**: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: Doesn't have one. Please let me know if I have made any really big mistakes. Thanks. If you are interested in helping out, please PM me.

Hello dear readers of mine! How are you all doing? I'm doing fine myself, but I'm very tired. Still… I never want to go to bed (while I never want to get out in the morning. I'm a hypocrite lol)

Thank you all for the reviews! I got a few hopeful 'preferenced' advices about couples. I'm still unsure if I will go down that road. If I do, I will still have to find the right match. Hmm…

Anyway here is next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko as he is being chases by Aang and finally realised that that 'inner voice' in his head might not be so natural after all.

Hope you enjoy! R&R!

**Chapter 10: Chasing Shadows**

_I've been searching  
I've been living  
For tomorrows all my life_

_~Into the Shadows, the Rasmus_

It felt kind of like chasing a shadow, Aang decided as he once again caught sight of the figure and gave chase once again.

"Hey Spirit! There you are! Wait up! Hey!"

Zuko grunted in annoyance as he once again came out of hiding to search for a new one. The kid didn't even sound out of breath. They had ran- who knew how - many circles around the village by now, but Zuko still hadn't managed to lose the kid.

_Woosh_.

He frowned suspiciously, noting that the noise of the Avatar following him ceased and that another sound had taken its place. With a quick look over his shoulder, he discovered that the child was currently chasing him on an airball.

He was coming nearer!

Holy sh-

Desperately trying to push some more energy – 'energy… energy… source of fire… energy….' He mumbled in his head - through his legs, Zuko suddenly went _just_ a little faster.

In his rush, he didn't have much time to give this little extra speed much notice. The only important thing was that it was working.

"Spirit, I don't mean any harm! Really! I just want to talk!"

Yeah right, as if that was any good encouragement. It wasn't as if the boy had listened to Zuko when he had said that he wanted to talk to him.

Being chased now though…' I kind of understood why he wou- Whoa!'

A flash of orange and yellow to his right. The kid had nearly managed to cut him off.

Cursing in his head, Zuko jumped to the left and was just in time with twisting his hip away from the tree so that he wouldn't collide against it. His clothes were not so lucky and scratched against the rough bark.

Urgh he would have to sew that together. He _sucked _at sewing.

The crumbling of the leaves and the snapping of the twigs alerted him of the brat's presence that was now behind him once again.

That kid was _fast_! The fact that Zuko's own bending abilities were acting strangely made the situation even worse. He couldn't make himself disappear as easily anymore. Normally he would have been able to hide in the shadows by now, especially with the sunset nearing, but something was messing up his concentration.

His head started pounding numbly and Zuko was starting to become worried.

'What the hell is wrong with me?'

Taking another large breath, he continued rushing through the trees, trying to get the kid off his trail.

The brat constantly seemed to be able to find him though.

Zuko cursed.

This was _not_ meant to happen. He didn't want his second identity to become connected to the Avatar.

It was meant to be his _escape_ damnit!

Zuko slipped around a random tree and quickly started climbing, hiding in the shadows. He might not be able to manipulate it to his fullest extend anymore, but at least he could still do the basics.

He was just on time, because already Aang rushed into the small clearing and looked around confusedly. The sun was slowly setting, but they still had about an half hour left.

Panting ever so slightly, Zuko nearly didn't dare to move.

He had to give it to the brat, his airbending was simply amazing. There was none of the uncomfortable and uneasiness any more that the kid had during their encounter at the North Pole. No, the Avatar was truly a master at airbender. It only showed through the way in how casual he used it. It was freaking difficult to outrun.

"Spirit? Hello? My name is Aang. I'm the Avatar. I want to help you." The voice of the young boy tried again, sounding just as hopeful and cheerful as he had been when they started their little chase.

Still, Zuko could find the hint of disappointment in his voice.

A sudden inspiration hit Zuko and he sneaked around to the other side of the tree, dropped down as silently as he could and crouched down.

Quickly scribbling something in the dirt, he stepped back to inspect his quick handiwork.

He winched as he heard a 'snap' and glanced quickly down to confirm that he had indeed stepped on a twig, causing him to rush right back up in a tree. He was glad that he had perfect that skill a long time ago.

He was also glad that the brat didn't look up when he 'wooshed' around the tree, or he would have most likely spotted him already.

"Hello Spirit? Where are y- hey!" The Avatar spotted the figures in the dirt and crouched down.

"Not real spirit?" He read out loud. "Huh? Then who are you? How do you do that disappear thing? It's really cool you know! Why are you here?" He continued questioning, looking around for any indication for this 'not-a-real-spirit-person'.

Another twig snapping, made the kid turn around and Avatar let out a quick surprised yell as he was suddenly face to face with a pretty scary mask. He backed away and used some airbender to keep himself on his feed.

"Wow! Don't do that!"

Now that he was close, he saw that the man in front of him – his figure told him so – was indeed no spirit. The mask had been pretty shiny though and the whole hiding in the shadow thing had kind of looked like spirit powers, but now that Aang paid attention to it, he didn't get any Avatar-spirit-vibe from the man either.

Well, actually… Aang frowned. There was something… but what?

One way to be sure.

Aang smiled at the man in front of him. "Hi! I'm Aang. I'm the Avatar and I was just wondering-" He rushed forward.

**~Scene Break~**

Zuko started back in surprise when the kid suddenly rushed at him. He missed to catch the boy's hand, provoking his instinct to defend himself. His hands twitched, urging him to use his swords.

He tensed his arm to rush the-

Poke.

"Well at least you are not tangible!"

He had been poked. Zuko couldn't help but feel slightly awkward at the innocent gesture and relaxed the grip on his sword. The Avatar grinned at him as he took a step away from him, deciding that stranger didn't really like being poked if it already made him reach for his sword.

"You are pretty twitchy aren't you?" It was an innocent question.

The firebender's eye twitched, glad that the Avatar couldn't see his reaction. Instead he shrugged slightly and took a step back too.

"What's your name?"

Zuko wasn't really surprised by the question, as the kid had been asking questions the whole time already, but he didn't really know how to answer.

So he did the only thing that came up in his mind, namely pointing at his mask.

"Mask?" Zuko shook his head and unsheathed on of his swords, ,making the kid cringe away. "Err… sor-" Aang stopped when he saw the masked man use it to write in the sand once again.

"Blue Spirit?" He read. "But you said that you were- ooooooh!" Aang nodded in understanding. "But that isn't your real name right?"

Zuko shook his head.

Aang was silent.

There was a slight pause as Aang was looking at him expectantly. Zuko shook his head and rubbed his kanji away with his boot.

There was no way he was going to tell the kid anything. He turned around and walked away. He better get back to his uncle. It would be too suspicious for him to appear right after the Blue Spirit had been spotted.

If there was one thing he valued more than the Avatar right now, then it was his second identity.

"Well, alright…" Aang muttered, sounding disappointed. Zuko paused when he noticed that the kid was actually following him.. "Why are you here?" He asked, making Zuko sigh.

'If I were to run off right now… would he just let me leave without chasing me?" He pondered, glancing at the child next to him that was assaulting him with questions again.

No… he didn't so either, but he could at least try.

**~Scene Break~**

"Aang over here!"

Oh no… not again. Zuko sighed in defeat as he glared at the figure that was being held hostage by that thing. He had just been able to disappear from the Avatar's sigh about an hour ago and now that monster – which Zuko guessed must be the real spirit – was getting him into the mess again?

Moving forward, the teenager couldn't help but feel annoyed but unable not to do anything.

**~Scene Break~**

'Stupid Overgrown mutated - _Panda Spirit. _Why is it targeting me? _Watch out!'_

Zuko jumped out of the way, just in time too, as the paw of that forest spirit landed on the exact spot just a few second later.

He cursed to himself.

'Why is everyone chasing me today?' Zuko wondered as he continued his personal mission to hide from the monster.

It hadn't been very happy when Zuko had managed to pull the pathetic warrior out of his grip. However, as soon as the spirit had noticed just _who _had pulled his prey away, the thing had stilled.

Before roaring very – very – dangerously as it looked so furiously at him that Zuko couldn't help but feel fear roaming over him.

Bad situation. Flee. No retreat. _Retreat_!

He didn't know how long he had been running, but eventually he had ended up in a burned for- no it couldn't even be caught a forest anymore.

The sight caught him of guard. Suddenly, as the moon shone down upon him, he got an idea of what was going on.

That thing was chasing him so angrily because he was a _firebender_! He must have sensed it!

A roar alerted him that the spirit had him in his sight again, and Zuko tried to move away in time, but it was difficult as he had no tree to hide in anymore. His hands tightened around his sword as he was overwhelmed by a sudden panic.

Unfortunately for the teenager he was too late.

"Spirit!" The avatar shouted in horror as suddenly a large claw hit him and threw him into the burned remains of a tree, resulting him to black out momentarily.

Zuko groaned as he moved up, not noticing that the shadows around him were flickering. He suddenly heard the advancing monster pause in his angry pace. Struggling up, Zuko waited for another blow, but was surprised when he saw the monster stare down at him as if he had been caught off guard.

Something stirred within Zuko.

The firebender frowned at the sudden sensation, before he sunk down again, having hit his head a little too hard. He tensed as he felt the spirits claw tightened around him and pick him up, though not as painfully as he had expected.

Then he was gone.

When Aang and Sokka – who had followed – finally broke through the line of trees they watched helplessly as the pair faded away. The only sign that was left behind was one of his favourite swords.

"That sucks." Sokka summarised both of their thoughts, unable to think up a joke to lighten the mood. After all, it had been because of him that that… creepy guy… had been taken away.

Picking up the sword that remained behind, he vowed that he would help to get him back.

**~Scene Break ~**

"Ma'am, are you Himura-san?" A voice cut thought the quiet room.

A woman who had been pensively preparing some lunch looked up as she saw the Avatar stand in the doorway, his companions close behind him.

"I apologise, what were you saying?" She hummed, having not caught the question.

"We are looking for Himura Airi?" She smiled at the young child, only a few years older than her son.

"Yes that's me. Please use my first name Airi. Welcome Avatar and his friends, it is an honor. What can I do for you?" She addressed him with respect, even though she had been caught off how much younger he looked up close.

"We wanted to know a little more about the Blue Spirit. We heard that you might…" The teenager with the ponytail started before he trailed of, glancing at the ground with a dark expression.

"Know about him?"

"Yeah." The avatar nodded and the woman smiled at them and motioned them to sit down at her table.

"Well… I have been on a journey to one of the large villages recently with Akira, my son. He was the one who had spotted him. We were met with many stories about this spirit. My son had always believed him to be a ghost like some of the stories had stated him to be. Especially since the forest spirit started terrorising us.

**~Scene Break~**

Zuko stared dazedly in front of him, wondering where he was. He felt peaceful. He felt calm and very – very – confused as he looked at figure in front of him that wore the exact same mask that he was wearing.

Where the hell was he? He pondered, watching the figure in front of him sit down in front of a large panda and running down his hand on the ragged fur in an attempt to smooth it out again.

He was vaguely aware that they seemed to be talking to each other, though not to words. Zuko couldn't hear anything but the last action was something that anyone would have recognised. The panda lowered his head to the figure in front of him as he put his hands together and bowed deeply to the spirit in front of him.

'Who are you?'

Blinking slowly, he watched as the mask turned towards him and actually smirked. _"Let's go back young one."_

He couldn't do anything but nod dumbly, somehow feeling like he should know what was going on.

**~Scene Break~**

"Wha- mommy look! Spirit!" A slightly familiar voice cried out.

Zuko blinked as he regained control over his body. Everything felt so heavy around him. What had happened again? He blinked slowly as a vague memory returned to him.

He had been in this place… this forest. There had been a panda staring at him so intently that it had caught him of guard. He had been moving, smirking at the panda, leaving with a bow, leaving Zuko to think that he had actually had a conversation with the Spirit.

But that thought is ridiculous.

'_Not really.'_

'Yeah it is.' He retorted before his eyes widened in surprise. He actually felt… a strong sense of amusement that was not his. He took a step forward and found himself on all fours.

He really didn't feel well.

"Spirit!"

Avatar. Zuko quickly stood back up, wobbling slightly as the kid and his friends ran towards him. "Are you alright?"

'I don't have time for this.' Zuko told himself shakily and turned back towards the open gate of the village, knowing that it was safe to get back into the forest. To get back to being prince Zuko.

"Wait! Let us help!"

He blinked as his path was blocked, and glared at them through his mask. He really wasn't in the mood to do anything right now. He had been kidnapped by a spirit. His head was throbbing. He was starting to hear voices in his head. He had had this crazy dream, not to forge that the Avatar had seemingly made it his personal mission to befriend him.

Screw this.

He circled around them but paused halfway as the ponytail-warrior called out to him. "What about your sword?"

Tensing, Zuko's hand reached for hi- it was gone. Slowly turning around, the air around him became dangerious, but the ponytail seemed to be too smug to be afraid of him.

"Stay the night. You should rest." The girl called out, stepping in between the two boys in an attempt to get his attention away from the boy. "We owe you."

He shook his head negative and held out his hand. 'I just want my sword back.' The message was clear.

"You will get it in the morning." Ponytail grinned.

Zuko growled, certainly not amused.

**~Scene Break~**

Zuko moodily stared at the small crowd in front of him, feeling on edge. His second identity was not someone who stuck around in these kind of situations. He was the type to disappear as soon as possible.

"Why do you wear a mask the whole time? Why do you keep hiding?" The brown-haired boy – who Zuko had learned to be called Akira – asked from the ground.

Zuko didn't bother to answer, hoping that if he kept this act up, they would assume he just couldn't – or wouldn't, he didn't care either way – not speak and leave him alone.

Unfortunately for Zuko, the kid seemed to be even worse than the Avatar was.

Looking down on the kid from his spot on the roof – he had refused to sleep in one of the rooms - he knew as soon as he noted the twinkle in his eye that the kid's curiosity wouldn't be satisfied quickly.

Still, Zuko didn't respond. Instead he watched as the boy decided to try and climb his way to the roof too.

"Did you know that you just saved the whole village?" The kid called out to him and groaned as he reached out for the ledge.

Feeling slightly weary that the child could fall any moment – he heaved himself up from sitting position. He didn't give the child any indication of having heard him but he was actually surprised by the statement.

He paused, before he shook his head.

"Yes you did! The spirit was much calmer when you were taken! He-_huff _actually went to speak with _urg_ the Avatar right way." The boy said, sometimes unable to speak properly from the effort.

The child didn't really notice that Zuko had moved during his story. Having crouching down at the edge of the roof, he studied the child's technique curiously before winching.

The brat's skill was horrible.

"So th- urg.." The brat was nearly there. "means that you saved us. He coul- urg… " A pause. "-destroyed the whole vill- village… but it didn- whaaa!" The boy had been trying to reach the edge of the roof but his foot lipped away from the ledge of the window he stood on.

His eyes widened in shock before a large hand grabbed him arm. His large brown eyes blue eyes stared up at the figure that had saved him.

"Why?"

The brat's eyes widened in surprise as the mask whispered so hoarsely and quietly that he nearly thought he imagined it. 'What did he mean with why?' The boy frowned.

He eventually grinned at the masked man as he pulled him up. "Because I knew you would not let me hit the ground."

The man remained silent after, but Akira didn't mind. He was too busy feeling giddy about this new idol, the memory of looking up to the crouching form of the Blue Spirit above him graved into his mind.

The moonlight that had seemed to illuminate the mask. The way he had seemed unconcerned that he was so close to the edge with only one hand lightly touching the ground to keep the balance and not to forget the strong grip on his hand.

He had a new idol to live up to.

They sat there for a while, the man completely silent, before he their peace was disrupted by a big yawn coming from the boy which snapped the Blue Spirit out of his thought. Giving the young boy an amused nudge, Zuko caught his attention.

"Sleep." He hoarsely whispered to the boy again, making sure that his voice was unrecognisable. The slight discomfort while talking was worth it.

The boy's face scrounged up in reluctance but nodded. Zuko helped him climb down and eventually heaved him on his back when the boy nearly fell asleep on his feet.

"Will I see you tomorrow?" The boy muttered sleepily, borrowing his head into the man's neck. His voice had been very hopeful and the boy frowned when he didn't say anything.

Following the child's directions, he slipped through the open window and froze momentarily when he saw a figure move at the door.

The mother. She held her finger to her lips and left the room, though she surely was close enough to keep an eye on them.

Smart woman.

"You are leaving aren't you?" The boy asked waking up slightly as he lowered him to the bed. The boy sighed in disappointment.

"I wish I had a big brother like you…" Were the last muttered words as the boy fell asleep, freezing him instantly.

A wave of different emotions washed over Zuko, which he quickly shook off. He couldn't leave without tucking the boy in though and quickly moved towards the window.

"He never had a male role model you know?" He heard a soft whisper, which made him turn around to the mother that was watching him from the opening of the door.

She smiled sadly at him. "Ever since my husband…" She let it fade off. "He's a good boy but he had been having troubles lately. I'm thankful that he finally found a proper figure to look up to."

Zuko shifted his stance, feeling slightly uncomfortable. They didn't know him at all. How could they place so much trust in him?

Aiki smiled at him. "I have heard many stories about you Blue Spirit. Mostly from my family that live in the larger cities. I would not believe so easily otherwise."

Zuko didn't know how to act as she gave him a slight bow to show her gratefulness. He didn't hesitate to bow in return, knowing that it would be an offence to wave the bow away.

Then when she straightened herself, the man in front of her had disappeared.

**~Scene Break~**

So they hadn't left yet? He pondered, having 'overheard' the boy talk about his next mission.

Zuko sneaked into the room, glancing around to look for the Water tribe Warrior. He sneaked around the sleeping forms of the girl and the Avatar and hovered over his target.

Shit.

The guy might be a pathetic warrior but he had to admit that the guy was smart. He had found something to wrap the sword in so he could secure it in his sleeping bag. Not to mention he even seemed to be cuddling with it.

Now _that_ was slightly disturbing.

Sighing in defeat he prepared himself to spend a long time prying the sword away of its abductor. It was time for him to get home.

On his way out of the room he glanced at the Avatar's prone form. If he wanted… he could just-

With a heavy sigh, he placed his hand on his mask to remind himself that it was not his duty right now.

Constantly repeating that thought in his head, Zuko slipped out of the house only freeze halfway when a soft voice cut out through the quiet and now peaceful village.

"Blue Spirit… Roku mentioned you when I talked to him." The Avatar's voice stopped him once again.

Roku? As in _Avatar _Roku?

"Why?" He whispered hoarsely to the Avatar, once again so softly that he nearly didn't catch the imply.

"He was too vague. He said to let our paths cross again or something…. And…" The avatar remained silent, trying to recall the whole conversation. Unfortunately the comments about the man in front of him had been after the information of the comet, so he had been kind of distracted.

Aang shook his head.

"I know you want to leave… but would you please come with us to his temple?" The Avatar pleaded as he turned around.

He shook his head. He had had enough Avatar stuff right now. He did not want to get involved with his mission. He was not a traitor yet and was not planning to become one.

"Please?" There was a slight desperation in his voice and Zuko felt his heart become heavy as he took note of it.

Why? Why did the Avatar had to be a child of all things? Why couldn't he be a bad evil cranky dark old man that only thought about himself?

He turned away from the kid again, help up his hand in a gesture of farewell and disappeared into the shadows.

Aang watched him leave with sad eyes before they became determined. They would meet again, he just had to remain positive.

With that thought he turned around to get Appa. He had an appointment that he couldn't miss.

In the forest, Zuko couldn't help but frown as he let the sentence repeat in his head.

"_He said to let our paths cross again…"_

'_Go back'_ His inner voice whispered to him, but he didn't listen. There was something off about that voice. It felt strange. He was trying hard not to trust it.

'Go away.'

'_I can't. I'm a part of you'_

'Then be silent.' He snapped back, trying his best not to let himself ponder about his insanity.

For once the voice listened to him and retreated. Though Zuko wasn't sure whether the sudden silence in his head comforted him one bit.

**~ End Chapter ~**

And another chapter! Sigh… I'm proud of myself to finish it within a couple of hours. Now I have to get back to studying again. Never thought I would say it, but I'm missing High School. I have never had to read so much information before!

Anyway, please bring me some light in this dreary boring darkness and give me some feedback please?

I hope you guys enjoyed it! Till next time!


	11. Spiritual Connections

**Summary**: "Don't be afraid of standing in the shadows Zuko." His mother had said. Follow Zuko as he grows up to do just that by discovering that there is more to Agni's gift than blasting fire. Will he through his eyes as the Blue Spirit be able to see the world as it really is and accept the truth about the Fire Nation? Will he eventually join the Avatar and his friends on their mission? Au.

**Beta**: I have one **Beloved Daughter**, but I first want the rest of the story to be beta-d as a whole, so please be patient for a while. I give her a lot of work mwhaha. In the meantime, please let me know if I have made any really big mistakes. are

A/N: Hello (hopefully) faithful followe- err readers of mine. How is everyone holding up? I know it has been a while, but I got a couple of new ideas for other stories in my head that just demanded to be written. There was quite a large response to that too, so I wanted to get a basis for these stories first. Unfortunately, this means that the update rate will slow down. Still, that doesn't mean that I have forgotten about you guys! Not at all! So thank you all for the reviews! I'm very happy that this story is appreciated as well – some even love it very much. The person in question will know who I mean (yes you. Yes you! and I'm very happy with that.)

Anyway here is next chapter! We continue to follow Zuko as he… well just read and find out!

Hope you enjoy! R&R!

**Chapter 11: Spiritual Connections**

_They say  
That i must learn to kill before i can feel safe  
But I  
I rather kill myself then turn into their slave_

_~Into the Shadows by the Rasmus_

Zuko's eyes narrowed as he looked through the spyglass to keep an eye on the sky bison. He had spotted more than only the Avatar and his over-sized pet. It seemed that he was not the only one that had been aware that the Avatar would be heading this way. Or it was simply his bad luck acting up again.

He shifted his spy glass to take a closer look at his annoyance once again.

A freaking blockade.

Shit. He would have to turn around.

'_And leave the kid in Zhao's hands.'_

'I'm not the brat's protector.' Zuko reminded himself. He was not going to babysit anyone. That had never been the plan. He might not really want to bring him to his father, but he was not going to protect the kid.

'_From Zhao's brutal torture… who knows what he will do the kid.'_

Zuko growled in frustration, having become more aware of the second – and much wiser – voice in his head today. For some reason, ever since he had woken up this morning, it's presence had become stronger.

Even so much stronger that Zuko couldn't ignore it anymore. To be truthful, it freaked him out. He felt like telling or warning someone, specifically his Uncle, but he didn't want to the man to become worried either. He would start nagging him the whole time. He wouldn't let him leave for a whole month.

The voice didn't provide any help either. It didn't even explain anything to him when he asked, but would only argue to him when it felt like it.

'Leave me the hell alone.'

'_Go after the kid.'_ Was the voice's last advice before it remained silent.

His Uncle looked at him worriedly.

"Prince Zuko, if the Fire Nation captures you, there is nothing that I can do. Do no-"

His uncle hadn't even finished the sentence before he was overwhelmed with a urge to follow the Avatar. 'What are you doing?' He demanded in his head.

The second voice didn't answer, making Zuko only more angry.

All his emotions that had pushed him to follow the Avatar so strongly before started to rear its ugly head. He wanted to follow the Avatar. It was his mission. He had a score to settle with the kid!

Zuko lowered the spyglass for a moment to rub his eyes. Damn him and his passionate emotions. Why couldn't he be more rational instead? This was going to be troublesome.

Taking a deep breath, Zuko realised that he was starting to feel more distant. It were signs that he was losing control. Zuko desperate tried to calm down, even going as far as breathing out some fire but it didn't help. It only made his uncle become more worried about him.

"Nephew, please. I know that you might still have strong feelings about captu-"

Another worried voice cut the man off. "Prince Zuko. The engines are damaged! We need to stop and make repairs!" The engine Master called out worriedly and the prince practically felt the whole crew around him tense.

They were expecting him to ignore it. He just knew it.

Screw it all.

Breathing out more fire, he forced himself to thing rationally.

'Alright, it seems like I have no choice but to follow the Avatar. I have no idea what these emotions will do to otherwise. Not to mention that this crazy thing in my head might even go as far as take control.' Zuko pointedly ignored the amusement that passed through his mind.

'Zhao might be here, but he has no clue where the Avatar is going. The ship will be too slow to follow the Avatar and the damage will be only worse if I push forward. I already know where the brat is going, so if I take the fastest speedboat, I might make it just in time…'

His decision was made and the presence in his head let out a sensation of approval. Which kind of felt like a pat on his head and made Zuko twitch in annoyance. 'You just wait. I don't know why you suddenly got so much power, but I will make sure to get you out of my mi-' He was rewarded a mental whack behind his head for that comment. 'You just wait.'

"I have to follow the Avatar Uncle." He said.

"I _have_ to." The prince refused to meet his uncle's worried eyes. He would feel guilty otherwise and he did not need even more emotions running wild in his head.

"Stop the ship. I will take the fastest speedboat." He called out, knowing that the distance between the ships was large enough for them to turn around and to prevent them to get hit by the fireballs that would be send his way in one minute.

Maybe he could use the distraction that the Avatar would provide and slip past them.

Waiting for the crew to start moving, he eventually growled out in annoyance as his crew only stared at him in surprise. He was going to stop? He was going to listen to the engine Master's advice?

"What the hell are you staring there like that? You have got one minute to get the boat ready!" He growled at them.

That got all of them moving in a rather hurried manner. They were not planning to annoy the Prince, worried that he might change his mind if they did.

"Uncle. I will leave the ship for a while. I will return to…' He tried to come up with a harbour that was closes to their current place. "the harbour where you got your latest teapot that you said you would add to your collection."

His Uncle was going to protest, he could see it in his eyes, but Zuko stopped him when he finally met his eyes. Iroh couldn't help but be surprised by the sudden determination that appeared in his eyes. There was no anger in them at all. No hate towards that Avatar, but only firm determination that showed him that he would not be able to change his mind.

"I'm _going_ Uncle." He said and then turned away to walk towards his room in order to get the most important things with him in his bag. He would need to change into dark and unrecognisable clothes. Then he had to make sure he had enough food to last him for a while and take enough money with him. He had to be prepared for anything.

The Prince didn't not see that his Uncle's worried eyes narrowed ever so slightly as he watched him go, as if he saw something that was out of place.

A few minutes later, the Prince was ready to go and the crew were arranged to lower the small boat. Before he was able to enter the boat though, he was pulled into a firm hug.

"Uncle." The teenager complained, very aware of the many eyes that were on him and his Uncle.

After all it was a pretty rare sight for the crew.

Still, he was not completely heartless so he gave the man a few reassuring pats on the back before he was let go.

"Be careful Zuko. Take care of yourself." The man said very firmly and was studying him carefully as if he was seeing something that Zuko couldn't see.

The young man twitched ever so slightly as he saw his serious gaze but answered anyway. "Of course. I will see you soon, and if I have not returned withi-"

"I will wait for you right here." His uncle told him and the prince stared at him in surprise.

"You can go to the harbour to-"

"We will wait her for a couple of days and then move to the harbour." His uncle stated firmly and pushed him towards the boat. "Now move. The mist will not stay for long once they will fire the Fireballs."

So his Uncle had known how he was planning to do get through unnoticed.

"Alright." Zuko agreed as he stepped in the boat.

"See you soon."

"May Agni be with you."

"You too Uncle."

~ Roku's Temple ~ 

Zuko was very nervous. He had no clue why he was feeling so incredibly nervous. Maybe it had to do with the fact that his body seemed to move on its own accord. Sure it would still stop when he wanted it too, but it felt like it would take more effort. He felt like it was easier to let his body do as it wanted.

It might also have to do with the fact that there had been instances that he might not have been in control of his body the whole time the whole day now.

'_Calm down.'_

'You are doing this.'

The voice was silent once more.

'What the hell is going on?' He asked, forcefully stopping his body and placing his hands on the upper part of his Blue mask.

No answer.

Not that there Zuko needed any answer, because he had – of course – not paid enough attention to his surroundings and had been spotted.

"I saw someone over there! Hurry!"

Ah, those Sages surely didn't sound very friendly. Zuko quickly sped away from the scene and managed to hide in one of the dark corners long enough for them to pass him by. A second later his control gave out once again.

What the hell was wrong with his control?

'This is annoying.' He couldn't help but think and slowly a possible explanation dawned on the boy. 'Does this have anything to do with the solstice?'

He remembered having heard something about the spirit world and men becoming closer during this time. Wasn't that the reason why this was the only time that the Avatar could speak to Avatar Roku?

Still what had that to do with him? It wasn't as if he was possessed right? A shiver ran down his spine as he was suddenly very aware of the second voice in his head.

Right?

Zuko nearly didn't notice that he was already moving again. He needed to get towards the main room. That was his goal at least. He would go there, listen what that damn Avatar wanted from the Blue Spirit and then leave.

Nodding to himself, he made his way through the shadows that flames provided.

' That sounds like a very good idea. '

~ Later ~

This had not been a good idea.

"You are here!" The Avatar whispered loudly in happiness.

Why? Why did this stupid solstice mess up his bending? This was absolutely horrible. Zhko had simply been waiting for them to continue with their pretty sneaky plan of tricking the Sages and then run in with the Avatar – hopefully unnoticed – and get it over with. He would stay out of the conversation, simply spy one what was going on and then sneak away once again.

However, it seemed that this was not meant to be as the Avatar decided to hide behind the exact same statue and spotted him as his shadow had faltered. After all, he had not expected the Avatar to practically run around the statue to hide.

Nor did he expect him to bump into him.

At least it hadn't been the Avatar's friends, who had hid behind the other statues just out of their sight. They would have caused a whole ruckus at spotting him.

"So you came after all! How did you get here? You know that Sokka really is annoyed with the fact that you managed to get your sword in his slee-"

Zuko's hand grabbed the kids collar to hide him back into the shadows and then placed a hand over his mouth to cut him off.

He hurriedly shushed him and then slowly took away his hand. The kid looked at him in a rather sheepish expression.

"Sorry about that! We should probably wait for the others to come right? We will have to run into the room-" The Avatar stopped when the Blue Spirit shook his head. "What you are not going in?" He asked, sounding confused.

The man nodded at him in confirmation.

'I'm not going to confront the Avatar Roku when the Avatar is right there. I had been planning to watch them interact, not to talk with the Avatar myself. What if he blurts out my real identity?' Zuko thought and watched impassively as the brat in front of him gaped at him in surprise.

Zuko turned his head to the right as he suddenly heard shouts of several people coming closer. He would have to move soon.

"But! But you have to! Avatar Roku aske-" Sighing, Zuko put his hand on the boy's mouth once again. The boy protested.

Then he licked his hand when he didn't let go.

'Ieuw! Gross!' Zuko thought but didn't let go. He couldn't help but be glad that he was wearing gloves. That didn't excuse the childrish act though and his eye twitched in disgust. Trying to ignore what had happened, he turned the boy's head to the right.

The kid finally seemed to understand that they were coming closer and stopped making such a noise. Nodding his head, Aang let him know that he understood what was going on.

Zuko quickly let the Avatar's head go and wiped his glove clean, using the childs shirt.

Said child grinned at him again and then turned back to the scene ahead of them.

"Hurry the Avatar has entered the sanctuary!" He heard one of the Fire Sages – seemingly the good guy – out to the others.

They waited silently for the warning they should probably get from Katara and the Sage Shyu for Aang to move.

Zuko sighed. He probably should head back to the ship himself then. 'Great another trip wasted for nothing. Well at least I managed to capture some saliva. Good job Zuko.' He grumbled sarcasitcally in his mind, knowing that if he were to abduct him as the Blue Spirit it would go against all his morals of his second identity.

"Now Aang!"

"Aang! Now is your chance."

Zuko pushed the boy forwards to let him go, suddenly feeling slightly disorientated as the doors opened.

'What is that?'

Zuko blamed this disorientation for the reason that he didn't see Aang's sneaky plan forming before. The boy rushed forward, but managed to grab Zuko's arm just in time to drag the shadowy figure along with him.

With a rush of wind, they were practically a blur of colors as the Avatar sped into the sanctuary.

The doors closed behind them just before one of the Fire Sages could get in, since the others that were left behind would make sure they didn't. He was barely able to spot Katara freezing the Sages on the spot – literally.

Zuko let out a heavy 'oomph' as he was flung to the floor and winched when he felt the sheet of his sword poke him painfully in his side. He sat up and glared at the figure that was hovering over him. The Avatar grinned sheepishly once again, rubbing the back of his neck in discomfort.

"Hehe, sorry about that. I was just thinking that…"

He never got that far as Zuko pushed himself from the floor angrily and grabbed to boy's collar to bring him closer. He towered over the boy in a rather threatening manner and shook the collar a few times to show him just how unhappy he was with the situation. The prince felt his hand twitch to strike the boy, but forced himself to refrain himself from going that far.

So instead, he pushed the boy away from him, making Aang land on his butt and started walking towards the door.

Maybe he could still get away from this place.

"Wait! Sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry. I just really thought that you should be here since Avatar Roku had mentioned you. It should be pretty important then right?"

Zuko simply growled at him and mentally started cursing when he saw that there was indeed no escape out there.

In fact, Zuko swore that he heard some voices out there. A large scuffle. Was that Zhao's voice? He frowned. 'Shit. I don't want him to know about my second identity. If he starts to connect me with the Avatar, he will probably try to hunt me down as well!'

He already had enough attention from the Fire Nation as the Blue Spirit as it was. He certainly didn't need to become Enemy Number Two as well.

His thoughts were cut off when the Roku's statue suddenly started to glow and a white mist appeared to surround him before he was pulled along with the two figure onto what seemed to be a mountain top. He glanced at the old man that sat on the ground and the Avatar staring at him in awe.

'So that is Avatar Roku?' Zuko thought and couldn't help but feel slightly humble for a moment.

His attention automatically shifted to something different though. His eyes then quickly roamed over his surroundings to find any means of escape. The scene might have been meant to be inspiring, but he felt rather trapped. Glancing down the edge of the mountain, Zuko couldn't help but feel slightly dizzy.

'If I were to jump, would I be able to get out of here?' He couldn't help but wonder as he shiver run down his spine.

"That will not be necessary my boy." The old man spoke up and Zuko froze.

'My boy.' The masked teenager repeated in his head. 'He knows!' He thought and his eyes widened in panic. He started breathing a little faster and he felt sweat run down his back. His eyes shifted back to the edge of the mountain top once again and he felt his feet tense to jump.

Slowly turning around, he met the man's wise eyes that seemed to look right through him. "Please calm down my boy." There he said it again! "I'm only here to tell you something and to let you talk to an old friend." The man continued.

The last words made Zuko relax and tense at the same time. The words had done their job though as, before Zuko realised what had happened, he had sat down and crossed his legs. The man seemed to be amused with the fact that he was sitting as far away as possible, but didn't say anything. Instead he turned back to Aang, who had watched their interaction with confusion.

Bowing his head slightly to the man in front of him, Zuko forced himself to remain silent as the two of them spoke. He studied Aang's reactions several times when the young boy started looking around him, as if he was seeing something that he couldn't. But then again, with all this spiritual stuff going on, Zuko wouldn't be surprised.

On the other hand, there were some things that he could follow. His eyes widened slightly in surprise as he took in the news of the upcoming comet. What did the old man mean with the fact that the Avatar wouldn't be able to restore the balance if his father were to use it?

Does that mean that the Fire Nation would win the war?

'The Avatar doesn't necessarily restore the balance right? He simply had to power to do so if he wants, but it all depends on the person right?'

The thoughts troubled him. 'Will my father even use the power to destroy the wo- yes he would.' He realised soon enough and Zuko clenched his eyes shut at the realisation. 'Of course he would. If he can strike his own son like this, banish him and let him wander without any assurance that the Avatar even might appear… I wouldn't be able to think that he wouldn't take the advantage.'

His hands clenched so firmly that his knuckles turned white.

The previous Avatar suddenly paused his explanation and turned his attention back to him.

"You my boy, will face many difficulties ahead. Make sure that you choose to follow the right paths or it might destroy the balance of the whole world."

A shiver ran down Zuko's body as the man's blue eyes bore in his own. 'Destroy the balance of the whole world?' That surely did sound important.

It surely did sound as something that he shouldn't screw up.

The man's eyes turned grave. "I hope my words will remind you of this in the future. The fate of the Avatar and you are very closely linked, but I will say no more. It seems that my old friend has finally shown up. Good luck, Blue Spirit and may Agni guide you."

The masked teenager stared at him in surprise before he nodded to him in reply, returning the greetings silently back to him.

"Huh?" Aang only said, clearly confused if not more than Zuko was.

'What does he mean with old friend?' A moment later, the young teenager he tensed as a hand was placed on his shoulder. A moment later he it pulled him back over the edge. Zuko's breath caught up in his throat, which was the only thing that kept him from screaming out in a rather embarrassing manner.

Instead of meeting the painful ground like he expected, his surroundings shifted. His eyes looked around as the world surrounding him became darker and he was suddenly slowly lowered to a rather soft surface. Zuko relaxed somewhat as he realised that he was lying in soft grass and his surroundings shifted to one of a forest.

Standing up, he momentarily glanced at the full moon above them.

"The moon, though it is the often known as the sign for the Water-element, works together with the Sun to allow the moon to light the world up the darkness. Which in turn, allows the energy and fire to remain and to be used by the firebenders." A hoarse and low voice whispered in his ear.

Caught off guard, Zuko swirled around and found- nothing. Nervously, he narrowed his eyes as he tried to find anything out of place.

Slowly but surely, the light of the moon disappeared as a large cloud hovered in front of it and a darkness spread over the clearing they were in. Zuko's heart hammered rapidly in his chest, but he forced himself to remain calm. He wasn't scared to stand in the darkness. He had done so many times before.

'I can do this. This is my territory.'

Breathing out calmly he managed to only tense as another whisper came from behind.

"In return, the sun provides the Waterbenders with energy to make sure that the water can move. Without energy there can be no movement. It would remain as nothing but a block of ice."

The Prince noted that the whisper, though it had a strange hollow sound to it, felt rather calming and eerie at the same time. Zuko turned his neck, but the darkness didn't show him any sign of the source of the voice.

"Without substance or fuel, there can be no light and no energy." The voice continued.

"Without balance between darkness and light, there would be neither." Zuko answered, fairly easily remembering what his mother once told him.

There was a short pause and then the prince heard a soft chuckle.

"Indeed, but the balance in the elements themselves and the balance between the elements in contrast to each other are both part of the Balance. So it is more complicated than that boy."

Zuko bristled at being called boy again, but remained silent. He shivered slightly as he felt a cold breath of air in his neck. He reached out to grab behind his shoulder but he didn't catch anything. There was another amused chuckle to reward his attempt.

"What are you trying to tell me?" The prince eventually asked, now slightly annoyed that he was being laughed at.

"You know the answer already, so I'm sure that you will figure it out on your own someday." The voice whispered.

Zuko's eyes narrowed in concentration just before he suddenly turned around and snatched something out of the air. A cold sensation ran right through him and he knew that he had just managed to grasp

"Stop trying to scare me." He whispered in return. "It is not working."

The voice started laughing and the cloud that had been blocking the moon evaporated.

"Isn't it? Really?" The voice provoked him, clearly amused. He watched with that same amusement as Zuko studied his appearance.

"You are the voice that has been in my head the whole time. You are a spirit then." Zuko suddenly said, his eyes widening as he stared at the figure in front of him. It was a copy of himself, the exact figure that he had seen in his dreams yesterday.

"Nearly right but not quite. I haven't really been in your head all the time. You are wearing my mask Prince Zuko of the Fire Nation." The figure told him and Zuko's eyes twinkled in understanding.

"You are the Blue Spirit." Understanding echoed through Zuko's statement.

"I am." The masked figure nodded.

Zuko kept a hold of the hand that had been reaching out to him and stared at the figure, studying him a little closer. He was a perfect copy from Zuko's current appearance, except for the eyes. Zuko couldn't see it's real eyes, but mere pools of shadows instead. It was kind of freaky.

"What do you want from me?" He whispered to the spirit, suddenly feeling very confused.

"You are already doing very well, I just hope you will remain on the same path in the future." The Blue Mask stated as he reached out to touch the boy's mask.

Zuko pulled his head back automatically to get out of his reach, but the figure was unsurprisingly able to grasp the side of the mask anyway. There was only so much distance one could create by pulling back one's head after all.

"Then why am I here?" The firebender demanded, trying not to show how disturbed he felt.

"I just wanted to say hello to my 'successor'. The day of the winter solstice is the only time that I will be able to communicate with you and to 'connect' with you."

'Connect?' Zuko tried not to let that thought bother him. So he had been possessing him somewhat today?

"Which is the reason why my bending was acting so oddly." Zuko stated instead, trying to act as normal as possible with the masked figure closing in on his face. He suddenly felt very glad that he had his mask on.

"Indeed. A simple side-effect."

"So why am I here?"

"I already told you."

"I want to know the _real_ reason."

"That's too bad." The masked figure said, before he changed his thought. "Well since you have proved to be so amusing…I will tell you."

Zuko's eyebrow twitched and somehow he felt like that spirit was very much aware of this, even though he was wearing the mask.

"I wanted to take a closer look at you. I have had a couple of successors before, but none of them had managed to do so well as you are doing." There was a slightly proud tone in the spirit's whisper.

Zuko couldn't help but feel slightly giddy- no not giddy, Princes didn't feel giddy – happy, no glad to hear that.

"Thank you." He replied in a slightly careless manner, earning an amused snort.

"But that wasn't really the main reason either." The Blue Spirit said.

He sounded more seriously this time, as his hand moving right through Zuko's grip. Zuko's eyes widened in alarm as he was suddenly pushed back against a tree and the second hand grasped the other side of the mask. Zuko managed to get a hold of both arms and tried to pull them away, but they wouldn't budge.

He growled out in warning and tried to bend some fire at the figure to get him off him, but he found that it didn't work.

"I came to warn you." The voice of the mask suddenly became a lot colder.

"Addiction is a very dangerous thing, Prince Zuko. Do not abandon the responsibilities that you must carry as Prince Zuko. Wearing the Blue Mask allows you to do great things, but as Prince Zuko you should be able to do even greater things. As long as you travel the right path. The mask will _not_ be a replacement." The hands pulled the blue mask to the side so that he was able to the scar that marred Zuko's face. His golden eye glared at the him furiously as he tried to tug the mask back.

"Find the balance, Blue Spirit. Prince Zuko." One of the hands touched the scar and to Zuko's surprise it didn't hurt at all.

"Find the _balance_."

The spirit stressed the last word with a dull echo and Zuko's breath hitched ever so slightly as he saw that everything started to evaporate around him.

"Our time is up." The spirit mused out loud, but didn't let go.

"Why the hell do you keep talking about balance! I get that already!" Zuko growled at the spirit, feeling intimidated by the spirit's actions and therefor suddenly very defensive.

The Blue Spirit laughed at him. "I like you Zuko. Keep up the good job and I might be able to help you out once in a while."

With that last sentence everything turned into darkness once again and he felt himself pushed back, right through the tree, and onto the ground. His eyes automatically shut themselves as he slammed his arms into the ground to catch the fall and used the momentum to push his feet over his head, to get himself immediately back to his feet.

Opening his eyes, he blinked when he once again was back in the sanctuary, standing not so far away from a glowing and meditating _Avatar_. He immediately checked for his mask, but it was fortunately in place.

He momentarily swore that he heard a laugh in the back of his head.

'Crazy spirit.' Zuko thought, shaking ever so slightly as he focused on Aang.

"I'm ready." The boy suddenly said and Zuko startled ever so slightly as the doors opened.

'_Use your shadows. Use your power. Remain unseen.'_ His instincts cried at him and he noted that the presence that he had felt before had disappeared. Instead, all that was left behind was an odd sense of awareness that lingered. It was as if the spirit wasn't there, but there was still something looking out for him.

Oddly enough, instead of freaking Zuko out, it felt quite reassuring.

He wisely stayed back as the young boy suddenly rose up and walked towards the doors, the power and heat around him surrounding to his presence. Zuko remembered what had happened last time that he had encountered the Avatar state and didn't want to get caught up once more.

The door opened and the quiet silence erupted into chaos.

"No Aang!"

"Fire!"

~ A few hours later ~

Prince Zuko couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh when he finally spotted his familiar ship. He nearly dared to call it his home by now, after having been living on it for years it surely felt like his home base, especially when it was the place where his Uncle was waiting for him.

He slowly got closer and waved to the guards that spotted him almost immediately. They seemed to be on guard for a moment before they recognised him and started shouting orders at a few swore that he heard his crew cheer for his return, but blamed it on his tiredness. He was fairly sure that he heard them call for his Uncle though.

He made sure to approach the side of the ship with a slow speed and then attached his boat to one of the steel loops that were designed for this purpose. Waiting as patiently as he could for them to lower the cables that he would have to attach to the boat to get it back up, he couldn't help but ponder about what had happened.

Luckily Zhao hadn't been able to see him in all the chaos and he was suddenly aware of a comet approaching.

'But should I do with that knowledge? And what the hell did they keep talking about? What right path?' Zuko couldn't help but feel slightly confused.

For a moment he wondered whether he should tell his Uncle, but decided against it. 'I will try to figure this out myself for now.'

If he wouldn't be able to, he hoped that his uncle would be able to help him.

"Prince Zuko, we will lower the cables now!" Came the warning and the Prince looked up.

Attaching the cables one at a time, he made sure to sit down as they heaved him up. He was tired, cold, wet and didn't feel like falling in the water at all. A hot bath would surely sound nice.

He nodded his thanks to a couple of his soldiers as they offered some assistance when he got on board. Normally he might have stubbornly tried it on his own, but his thoughts were too occupied for that.

"Thank you." He called out to someone that drabbed a large towel over his shoulders, causing his crew to stare at him for a moment.

First he had listened to the engine Master's advice, then he had nearly returned his Uncle's hug and now he was actually thanking them? The captain couldn't help but realise that the teenager might not be as bad as he thought he was.

"Welcome back Prince Zuko." He finally spoke up, testing the teenager's reaction.

"Thank you, Lieutenant Jee." The teenager politely returned, making eye contact for only a second. It was enough for the lieutenant to know how tiring the trip had been for the teenager.

"You Uncle will be up in a moment." He said. "He nearly wanted to eat on the deck but I was able to assure him that we would immediately warn him when you would approach. So he should be here in ab-"

The man wasn't even able to finish his sentence as Zuko was once again pulled in a hug. Coughing softly in embarressement, Zuko couldn't help but wonder why Uncle was so worried about him. Then before he realised what had happened, the man was keeping him at arm-distance and he was being scrutinised.

Twitching slightly, Zuko spoke up. "Uncle? Is something wrong?"

Iroh's eyes studied him for a little longer, especially his eyes before he merely smiled. "Nothing. Nothing is wrong." His uncle did sound a little too relieved in Zuko's opinion. " I'm just happy that you are back."

"It is good to be back." Zuko muttered slightly awkwardly and pulled himself away from the man's grip.

He cared a lot for the man, but he needed a little space after all the chaos that he had escaped from. "Now if you excuse me I would like to head to my room for now. Uncle could you please ask the crew to prepare a bath for me? In the meantime, Lieutenant Jee would you care to accompany me to my room and update me on the status of the ship?"

His uncle nodded at him with amusement in his eyes. "Of course Nephew. You look like you could use one."

The other man in question had once again been caught off guard but he nodded. "Of course."

"I will see you later Uncle." He said, nodding at the man, who was still watching him with that strange look in his eyes. Turning around they walked towards the stairs, as

"So how is the engine doing?" Zuko started, trying to keep his thoughts with the subject at hand.

The two men spoke for a while before they reached Zuko's room and Zuko gave him some new orders and navigations so they could reach the harbour that he wanted to go to.

"We need to stack up again. Maybe we will need to replace a few parts of the engine. I will speak to the engine Master." Zuko continued, though mumbling the last part more to himself than to the Lieutenant.

"Alright. I will go and give out the order to start moving Prince Zuko." The man said, nodded at the prince and even giving him what seemed to be a slight bow.

Zuko tiredly nodded at him in return, probably not even noticing the man's behaviour and entered his room.

He stripped out of his wet clothes and put on something dry before he emptied his bag to let it dry. His hand traced his Blue Mask for a moment and then he made sure to hide it until his bag was dry again. Sitting on his bed, he waited for one of the servants to let him know that his hot bath was ready.

With all those chaotic thoughts moving around in his head, he really needed one right now.

He blamed the soft amused chuckle that he heard, to his tiredness once more.

**~ End Chapter ~**

Feedback time! :D Please review!

Phew! This chapter took so long! I have been working nearly a whole day on this. The chapter is longer than usual as well, but it has been a while so I thought that couldn't hurt. Hehe.

I hope that you liked this interaction between Zuko and the real… spiritual Blue Spirit. Heh, Aang will probably wonder where he disappeared to (again).

Till next time!

~Dreamyin


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